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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26290012">affair</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/vonseal/pseuds/vonseal'>vonseal</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>garlic and blood (and a bit of love) [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>ASTRO (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adultery, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Anal Fingering, Blow Jobs, Domestic Violence, Explicit Language, Fluff, Gay Sex, Historical References, M/M, Murder, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Racism, Period-Typical Sexism, Smut, Vampire Hunters, Vampires, Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:00:56</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,275</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26290012</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/vonseal/pseuds/vonseal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>dongmin has caused a mess.</p>
<p>myungjun and bin decide to clean it up for him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Myungjun | MJ/Moon Bin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>garlic and blood (and a bit of love) [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1541464</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>affair</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>i always say "i wont be so long next time" and then i take ages. ah, well, have the longest chapter of the vampire series as my sincere apology.</p>
<p>pls note the tags. as per usual, it's raunchy, but we do have some abuse and violence in here as well.</p>
<p>big apology for the ending.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seated beside him, Myungjun cursed. He had managed to collect a strange array of curses in different languages, and Bin listened, amused, as Myungjun’s foul mouth released some rather choice words in some European language.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“My,” Bin murmured, his lips curved upwards in a smirk, “was that German? Myungjun, have you been hanging around </span>
  <em>
    <span>Germans?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Myungjun fussed. He sat with several maps laid out in front of him, and Bin wondered what about the maps would have upset him so dearly. He put his book down, suddenly interested in his lover’s frustrations, and lit a cigarette so he could properly enjoy this new entertainment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, I’ve visited the German Empire. Of course, back then it was the Holy Roman Empire. It was magnificent.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun sighed and glanced up at Bin. “I spoke German. So what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve yet to learn English, but somehow you know curses in every single language. It’s fascinating, honestly. I’m slightly impressed.” Bin blew a ring of smoke out toward Myungjun, who swiped it away with indifference. “It also leaves me wondering about the sort of people you hang about.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun returned to his work. He circled something on his map. Bin made a mental note to purchase a new map soon for Myungjun. His current one was nearly tattered with how often Myungjun folded it and unfolded it and marked down houses and crossed out dead ends. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hang around you, mostly, and that’s where I’ve learned much of my rotten behavior and foul language.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That wounds me. I am a gentleman.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wish you would agree. I wish you would say </span>
  <em>
    <span>of course you are, Mister Moon, you are such a fantastic and wonderful gentleman.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Lying is a wicked sin.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin rolled his eyes. He certainly didn’t fail to notice how Myungjun struggled to hide his smile. “What a bastard you are,” Bin scolded, even as Myungjun giggled. “Cursing in my presence is one thing, but calling me a </span>
  <em>
    <span>liar</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Where does it end with you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a shrug of his shoulders and not a single glance over, Myungjun responded, “Most gentlemen wouldn’t want to fuck me while I drink blood from a deer.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you didn’t allow me to, anyway, so it’s not like I did anything wrong. Unless you consider the thought to be wrong.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The thought is most definitely wrong. Just because you could not complete the action doesn’t mean you are free from vile and wicked behavior.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin gave a small </span>
  <em>
    <span>hmph</span>
  </em>
  <span> as Myungjun continued to work on his map.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They needed a change of conversation. Bin had grown bored with such talk of </span>
  <em>
    <span>sin</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>thoughts</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He asked, “What is making you angry enough to curse in German, anyway?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Here.” Myungjun moved closer to Bin, dragging one of his maps along with him. “I’ve scouted this area for a few days and have learned of a vampire who works as a shoemaker. He lives in the apartment above his place of business. I can’t figure out how to get to him without being noticed, though. Beside him is a police station.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin examined the map, tapping his cigarette mindlessly across his ashtray as he looked down at the different markings. Myungjun truly had a system in place that Bin found difficult to crack, but once he recognized which drawn lines meant what, he was able to traverse the chaos. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Does the police station have windows that face the shoemaker’s shop?” he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. However the station is only one story — the shop is taller, since it accommodates the apartment.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then come up from behind.” Bin trailed his finger across several streets. “Instead of going onto Bowery, take a left onto East Houston and then another left onto Essex. You can come up—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But the shoemaker’s apartments face south. He’ll see me coming.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Should he be suspecting you?” Bin asked, turning a curious gaze onto Myungjun. “I thought you have been sneaky enough to not be caught just yet.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought so, too!” Myungjun fussed, snatching his map away from Bin. “But...oh, I can’t help it if I’m a little nervous. I’d rather not have you bail me out of jail again. And if the police shoot me, I don’t want to play dead until you manage to finesse your way into stealing me back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d have Dongmin steal you back for me. He can be oddly persuasive when he wants to be, even if no one trusts him because he’s Asian.” Bin huffed on his cigarette again before ruffling Myungjun’s hair. “Chin up, love. I think you’ll be perfectly capable of pulling this off. It’s been a while since you’ve fucked up.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun scowled. “And I don’t want to do it again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You won’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How can you be so sure?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a brief moment of sincerity, of Myungjun opening up to Bin. He didn’t do it often; no, he was usually closed off, afraid to let Bin know his deepest fears. Bin couldn’t fathom as to why Myungjun kept such a clammed interior, but he appreciated small gestures that showed how much Myungjun trusted him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin ground his cigarette out into the ashtray in order to turn his attention fully onto his lover. “Myungjun, you are bright and crafty and capable. You could have killed even </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> at multiple instances, and I’m not an easy prey. Yet, you did not — you </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but you chose not to. I’m far more intelligent than some damn shoemaker, and I have complete faith that you can finish this job. You can kill this vampire and relish in cutting him open with that strange man at the morgue.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun remained with a pout on his expression. “I do like it when we cut them open.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, and you </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> cut this one open, I am sure of it. And you know me — normally I’d rather keep you close and never let you go. I’m scared of seeing you caught. But I know you won’t be caught, so I’m fine with this kill.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You have much faith in me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You deserve all of the faith I have to offer!” Bin teased. He leaned closer to Myungjun and nuzzled his nose into his lover’s neck. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun uselessly hit at him. “Stop it; it’s cold.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Warm me up, then.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bin, </span>
  <em>
    <span>stop</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.” Bin wrapped his arms around Myungjun’s waist, keeping him from escaping. His fingers lightly tickled Myungjun’s sides, and the younger man screeched out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Bin!</span>
  </em>
  <span> Bin, stop, you know I’m ticklish!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin grinned as he mercilessly tickled Myungjun, who fell backwards onto the couch and writhed in delight and frustration. As Bin tickled him, he planted kisses all across Myungjun’s face, and cooed, “Such a strong, capable vampire hunter! Come on, stop me if you want me off, love, I know you can do it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But either the tickling was too much or Myungjun was enjoying it, for he did nothing in defense, save for laughing loudly with mirth, eyes screwed up as he struggled to contain his emotions.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin would have very much liked to continue (and would have liked for the tickling to devolve into something a little more intimate), but he was interrupted by a frantic knock at the door. He sighed as he moved his fingers away from Myungjun’s small waist. Myungjun smacked his shoulder, his first move in retaliation, and sat up, his forehead bumping into Bin’s chin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck,” Bin cursed, rubbing at his jaw. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun only winced once but otherwise didn’t seem too bothered. “Who’s that?” he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The knocking returned, louder and more frantic, and a voice on the other end beckoned them. “Bin! Myungjun, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I know you’re in there!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, Dongmin!” Bin perked up, excited with the guest. “Quite late, too. It’s nearly morning, isn’t it? My, what is he doing up at this time?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun scrambled up from the couch. “He sounds worried,” he pointed out. “I’ll get it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But Bin remained close behind as they rushed to the door, and so he also greeted Dongmin the moment the door opened.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With Dongmin was Angela. Her face was lowered, chin tucked down to her chest, but already Bin could detect something was wrong. He smelled her blood, fresh and flowing out in the open, and noticed how her dress was torn and her hair was in disarray. He stared for only a second before he opened his mouth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dongmin beat him to it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please, let us in,” he begged, eyes desperate as he held his mistress upright.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun stepped back; Bin did, too, mystified with this new development. “What happened?” Bin asked, gesturing Dongmin and Angela to the couch where he and Myungjun had been playing just seconds before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dongmin didn’t speak until he sat Angela down. He whispered something to her, and when she looked up, Myungjun drew in his breath, gaze sharp with anger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her face was bruised and swollen. There was blood bubbling out of the corner of her mouth, and more blood that spilled from a large cut that traveled from her forehead down to her eye. She had marks on her neck, where her dress had been ripped, where it looked as if fingers had grabbed at her and held her down.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin recalled, suddenly, something Dongmin had mentioned weeks prior.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Her husband is mean.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He understood, and he gave a small smile to Angela. “So it seems your husband has caught wind of your affair, hm?” he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela’s chin quivered. She looked down again as blood dripped onto her dress.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin continued, “I’m not surprised. Men can be highly jealous creatures, my dear. On top of that, you were given notes about architectural procedures in Chicago. That’s far too much. A </span>
  <em>
    <span>learned</span>
  </em>
  <span> wife is bad enough, but you have become an </span>
  <em>
    <span>adulterous</span>
  </em>
  <span> learned wife. Your husband must be very emasculated—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you finished?” Dongmin snapped, eyes ablaze with anger.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin turned his smile onto his close friend. “I’m merely trying to make sense of the situation. It is </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> couch she is bleeding all over.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun, listening but not understanding much of the English, scoffed and shouldered past them. “Make yourselves useful. Go gather fresh water, bandages, rags, and some medicine. Dongmin, I’m sure you know where it all is; if not, stop arguing with Bin for five seconds so he can help you.” Then, he bent over and placed his hands on Angela’s cheeks, lifting her head in order to assess the damage. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin had to give her credit; she flinched but did not draw back, staring ahead with steely determination.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once more, Myungjun scolded him. “Fuck, Bin, go and get something to be helpful! She’s bleeding; why would you stand around and let a lady bleed?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin sighed, but rushed off to do as requested. He could understand Myungjun’s anger. Angela had always been so kind to him. She greeted him cheerfully in the hallways and made an effort to speak a bit of Korean so they could communicate better. Bin had always winced at the heavily-accented phrases she would produce, but Myungjun seemed delighted whenever she slipped into his native tongue. Apparently, Angela had asked Dongmin to teach her, and Myungjun appreciated her attempts.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>On top of all that, the crime committed against her </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> atrocious. Bin was no saint and chose not to pretend to be one. He had killed numerous women, most all of whom were innocent, but he liked to think he would never beat someone he loved for adultery. He tried to imagine beating Myungjun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, damn her husband,” he muttered to himself as he gathered the supplies Myungjun had required of him. He couldn’t beat Myungjun; he wasn’t sure how her husband could live with himself after what he had done.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he returned to the parlor, Dongmin was kneeling by her side, whispering words of comfort as Myungjun gently scrubbed at her face, clearing away some of the dried blood. He seemed focused, and so Bin dropped the bandages and medication at his side, choosing instead to stand back and examine the situation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela cried out when Myungjun focused on her neck. He swallowed thickly and muttered, “I’m sorry,” in English.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tears had welled up in her pretty eyes. “It’s not your fault,” she responded. Dongmin was quick to translate for Myungjun before he stood back, allowing Myungjun to take full control.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” Bin mumbled, switching to Korean, “her husband </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> find out?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And he beat her?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dongmin’s jaw was tight. “Yes,” he repeated. “He likely would have killed her had she not whacked him over the side of the head with a pot. I can’t believe...there was no reason for him to have done such a thing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin hummed lightly. “He was angry. She had cheated on him. I’m not saying what he did was right,” he added when Dongmin opened his mouth to respond, “only that I have extremely loose morals, anyway, and have seen much worse for much less.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I doubt you’d ever beat Myungjun for sleeping with someone.” Dongmin gave a forced laugh. “You’d probably join in the adultery.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Especially if it was with you,” Bin teased. Dongmin only rolled his eyes now, far too worried to be truly frustrated with Bin’s flirting. “Anyway, how did her husband figure out? Did she tell you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It wasn’t as if it was a well-kept secret. Everyone knows. Even Bishop Dolan knew, remember, and I had never met with him before. Angela’s husband was simply an idiot and couldn’t connect the dots until someone asked him if he was aware that she was sleeping with another man. I bet he’s doubly happy to know she’s chosen some lowly immigrant over a native-born.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dongmin sighed. “The moment he comes to, he’ll likely try to find me. Christ, that’ll be swell.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin would have normally winced at the curse, but he was used to Myungjun repeating such awful, religious phrases. Myungjun wasn’t a regular vampire and had no qualms using such terminology, for some strange reason.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like I said before,” Bin stated, “it’s a good thing you’ve befriended undead, immortal beings. Myungjun won’t let any harm come to you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dongmin glanced to Bin. “And what about you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin smiled cheerfully. “I’ll be beside myself if such a beautiful man dies.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can’t be serious for a single moment, can you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m quite serious. You’re enticing and attractive and I’d love to see your pert, little ass one of these days.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He supposed their discussion had gotten a little louder, for Myungjun snapped, “If you two are done flirting, I’d like some help, please.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin winked at Dongmin, who either didn’t notice the gesture or didn’t care. The man hurried forward, sitting on Angela’s other side. “How can I help?” he asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need you to ask her if there are any other wounds.” Myungjun was dabbing the cut above Angela’s eye with honey, eyes narrowed as he concentrated. “I want to ensure I get to them before her blood becomes infected.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, for if an infection settles, then we’ll need something to suck her blood,” Bin interrupted. “Like leeches, or...oh, golly, I think I might be able—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t bite her,” Dongmin ordered, and then he spoke in English. “Angela, darling, do you have anything else Myungjun ought to know? He wants to ensure we don’t need leeches for any infections.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin couldn’t help but speak up again. “Leeches, or something more interesting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Dongmin snapped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela was clearly confused but she chose not to mention Bin’s cryptic words. “I...no, I don’t have anything else. It was...he simply began to hit my face. That’s all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She seemed a bit unsure, but Dongmin nodded in relief, anyway, and said to Myungjun, “No more wounds. This should be it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good,” Myungjun declared. He finished wrapping the bandage around her head, apologizing again when he pulled too tightly. “It’s not very pretty, but my handiwork will have to do for now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She bowed her head, a sign of humility, which Myungjun waved off. “Dongmin, take care of her at home. I can come and change her bandages once a day, but you need to put honey on—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She can’t come home with me,” Dongmin blurted out, shaking his head. “You’ve seen what her husband’s done to her for our affair. If she comes home with me, then she might be in even more danger than before!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin, his eyebrows furrowed, stepped forward. Angela seemed to sense an argument brewing based on her condition and she kept her eyes lowered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can’t turn her out to the streets,” he chastised Dongmin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, god, I wouldn’t dream of it. I just…” He cleared his throat. “Would you two take her in?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun nodded his head, but Bin gave a quick, “No.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bin!” Myungjun exclaimed. “Why can’t we?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because, I don’t want anyone else living here. Having the maids come for the day is a struggle enough, but the more people we let into our lives, the more people will know about our secrets. Dammit, Dongmin, do you know how difficult it is to hide the fact we’re vampires? Angela might </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> if she lives here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dongmin’s eyes were wide, imploring them both for help, and he stammered, “I swear, she’ll never know! I’ll ensure it! And if she does, I swear she won’t tell a single soul. You will be safe and she will be safe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How do you know she’ll be safe? I did get your last housemaid, after all,” Bin reminded him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You won’t hurt Angela; I know you won’t.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was correct. Bin </span>
  <em>
    <span>liked</span>
  </em>
  <span> Angela. She wasn’t the typical, demure type of woman. She didn’t roll over backwards for any man, and she was easily able to deliver her own scathing remarks whenever Bin mocked her. She treated Myungjun with respect, despite his immigrant status and his inability to speak or read English, and she was intelligent and could retain intellectual conversation quite easily. While Bin had always preferred the feisty but dumb prostitutes, or the shy women who giggled at his smirk, he couldn’t help but find Angela fascinating. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He thought New York could do with more women like her, women who would one day make something of themselves and change the tide, and he could never kill off such a wondrous breed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” he admitted. “But, still, it’s not as if these apartments have much space. We only have two bedrooms—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“As do I,” Dongmin pointed out, glowering at Bin. “And my second bedroom is currently taken over by Minhyuk.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was Myungjun who had taken pity on the boy, who whisked him out of the tenement. He had understood what it was like to live in squalor and have no friends. He wanted Minhyuk to live by their side, but after much discussion, Minhyuk had chosen instead to stay with Dongmin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dongmin never did have much of a choice in that decision. One day Bin had simply knocked on his door and pushed Minhyuk into his chest and exclaimed, “A new maid! I have the perfect outfit for him, too!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately, Minhyuk never did wear the maid outfit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Also unfortunately, Dongmin was correct. He couldn’t very well have his married mistress move in with him. That would cause far too much trouble. It was possible that moving in with two unmarried men who also happened to be Korean and who also happened to live in the same apartment building as Dongmin would cause trouble, but it would still be less trouble.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin </span>
  <em>
    <span>liked</span>
  </em>
  <span> Dongmin. He didn’t want to cause trouble for his friend.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He glanced at Myungjun, who had stood from his examination of Angela and was listening to the conversation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun seemed to understand the wordless request. He smiled gently at Dongmin and nodded his head. “We’ll take her. It’ll be nice to have a housemaid who actually likes me. Can we fire the other one?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Or I can just feed from her,” Bin muttered, ignoring the scowl Myungjun shot in his direction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dongmin took a deep breath, relief flooding out of his body. “Thank you both so much. I will consider this repayment for me taking in Minhyuk.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We gave you a free maid,” Bin complained, “so if anything you should be paying </span>
  <em>
    <span>us</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Minhyuk isn’t a maid,” Myungjun argued. “Why don’t we just switch maids? When ours comes tomorrow, we can send her up to Dongmin’s place instead. I’m sure she won’t complain; he’s a government figure.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin scoffed. “A government figure embroiled in a love affair.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Knock it off,” Myungjun fussed. He looked over Angela briefly before holding out a hand and speaking in English, painfully slow and awkward as he stumbled over the words he wanted to convey. “Sleep? Can, um, can you sleep?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela, at least, understood what was being asked. She glanced toward Dongmin, who gave a quick nod, and then stood, accepting Myungjun’s hand. Dongmin stepped forward and planted a gentle kiss onto her cheek before allowing Myungjun to usher her away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a sigh, Bin surveyed the damage to his couch. Most of the blood seemed to have fallen onto Angela’s dress, but he decided to have the couch cleaned, regardless. He lit another cigarette as he straightened back up to look at Dongmin’s forlorn face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, Dongmin,” he said, waving his cigarette around dramatically, “you have certainly caused trouble this time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In response, Dongmin groaned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>(㇏(●╥╥●)ノ)</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No one had explained to Angela that Bin and Myungjun followed a vastly different sleep schedule than regular humans did. Bin supposed he was partially to blame; Dongmin was clearly too stupid to have thought of mentioning such a thing, and Myungjun was unable to speak English well enough. That left Bin as the only capable person around to tell Angela, but it didn’t cross his mind until he was woken, rather abruptly, by the bedroom door opening. He tossed over and grumbled, “Jun, come back to bed, there’s no reason to be up right now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me,” a voice responded, female and in English and </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> not from Myungjun. Bin lifted his head up, blinking his eyes blearily until he could focus his sights on Angela. The bandage above her eye was soaked in blood and she wore the same, ratty dress she had come to them in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin sighed. “What is it?” he asked. Beside him, Myungjun shifted but did not awaken.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela glanced toward Myungjun and then back at Bin. She appeared flustered. “I was...are you really still in bed? It’s mid-morning; ought you not get up?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We both work nights,” Bin muttered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela gave a small </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and added, “That must be the reason I never see you two much in the daytime. Curious; I never thought about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm,” was Bin’s only response. He ran a hand through his hair and yawned. “Can I help you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. I’m bleeding again. I was wondering if Myungjun would be—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s sleeping,” Bin pointed out, gesturing to Myungjun’s body. Myungjun remained still, curled up underneath blankets like some sort of cat, his cheek nuzzled into the pillow and squishing his face into a cute smile. Bin would have very much liked to look at him for some time, but he knew he couldn’t, not when a lady was bleeding right in front of him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While she stood there, wringing her hands together, Bin rose from the bed. He grabbed his ugly, yellow bathrobe and wrapped himself for a shred of decency before gesturing for Angela to follow him out of the bedroom. She did so, closing the door quietly, and they tread down the hallway.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I apologize for waking you,” Angela started, “it’s just that I didn’t want the blood to become infected. That sounds like it would cause far more problems than it is worth.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin nodded his head. He sat Angela down on the sofa in his parlor and unwrapped the bandage. The cut was nasty, and he curled his lips upward at the sight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Blood was beautiful. The worse the cut, the more lovely it smelled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What did he use to cut you?” Bin asked as he pushed aside the dirtied bandage.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela grimaced. “A bottle.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How wonderfully cliched.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He drinks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The story is growing more cliched by the second.” Bin dragged a finger up near the cut and collected blood onto his skin. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth before standing. “Let me gather supplies to properly clean this wound. You sit there, my dear.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She made no fuss, and he walked back down the hallway, taking the time to suck the blood from his finger. Angela certainly </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> taste good. She was nothing like Myungjun, but her blood was still quite youthful and vibrant. He wished he didn’t like her so much, or else he would have no qualms in taking her life. Ah, but he had grown soft in his old age. He couldn’t imagine killing Angela. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He returned to Angela’s side shortly with a small basin of water, rags, bandages, and more honey. Once he sat and faced her, she spoke again, as if the silence was too unsettling for her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Might you have any dresses I could borrow?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re both men.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But you’re both </span>
  <em>
    <span>homosexual</span>
  </em>
  <span> men.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin was amused. “You’ve read far too many false pamphlets, haven’t you? I can assure you, neither Myungjun nor myself wear dresses.” He paused in his task and clarified, “Or, we do not wear dresses that would be fit to be seen in public.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela seemed to understand the message and she sighed as Bin cleaned her wound. “Still, I would very much like to get out of this dress. It’s torn and dirtied with my blood.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought Dongmin bought you dresses. Where have those gone?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’re back at my husband’s house.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You took your lover’s gifts back home to your husband? My dear, you sound quite foolish.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She pursed her lips. “My husband believes that I buy the dresses with my own money. He is unaware of Dongmin’s gifts. And now I can’t go back to pick them up. I’m…” She swallowed thickly. “I’m afraid he’ll kill me next time he sees me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin narrowed his eyes. He dabbed some honey onto the cut, and when Angela winced, he gave a small apology. “What was your reason for marrying him in the first place?” he asked. “You’re clearly unhappy, since you’ve turned to Dongmin for comfort.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was mostly a marriage of convenience,” Angela murmured. “I did love him at first. Then he became drunk. And mean. He criticized all that I did. He never could make enough money for us, and I became a housemaid. He hated that even more. He wanted to stop me from working, but he certainly loved the money I brought home. He gambled it away constantly. I couldn’t escape the marriage, but I could turn to Dongmin for comfort. He’s...he’s so kind. He’s the exact opposite of my husband — he’s successful and wealthy and tall and handsome and smart and respectful. I do love him, Bin. He might not love me in the same way, but I do love him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You think Dongmin doesn’t love you?” Bin asked, surprised with the admission.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela shrugged her shoulders. “I know he doesn’t. I do not mind, though. He still treats me well, and he allows me to love him, and he takes care of me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why do you think he doesn’t, though?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sometimes you just know these things.” Angela gingerly touched the bandage that was wrapped around her forehead, and Bin took the opportunity to look at the wound on her lip. It was swollen, along with the bruising around her eye, but it didn’t appear to need any extra aid.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He stood from his seat and gestured for Angela to stand with him. “Perhaps you don’t know Dongmin as well as you think,” he stated.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She smiled at him and shook her head. “Maybe not. Oh, but what does it matter; perhaps love is not everything.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell me, do you truly love Myungjun?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course I do.” He spoke hurriedly, certain of the words as they spilled from his mouth. “I could never love anyone as much as I love Myungjun.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then you know how it feels to love someone. I love Dongmin; he doesn’t feel the same. And that’s alright. I do not mind. As long as I can be near him, I think I’m satisfied.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin felt pity, suddenly, for this young woman. She was married to a drunkard and in love with an Asian, neither of whom cherished her entirely. Dongmin could try, and at least Dongmin </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> respect her and adore her, but he didn’t necessarily feel love for her. Bin knew that, too. He could see it in the way Dongmin held her arm but looked upon Myungjun with more fondness. He could see it in the way Dongmin kissed Angela gently yet devoid of a deep love. He could see it in the way Angela clung to him more than Dongmin clung to her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He </span>
  <em>
    <span>liked</span>
  </em>
  <span> Angela. He adored Angela. Hell, perhaps he loved Angela on a friendly level. But when it came to deep, romantic love, Dongmin was lacking.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin glanced at Angela, wanting to say more, wanting to see how much she knew of Dongmin’s feelings, but she was staring at the hallway, smiling brightly. “Hello, Myungjun,” she greeted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin turned to his lover, who had stumbled out from the bedroom and was rubbing groggily at his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good morning,” Myungjun greeted, though he sounded loath to do so. “How is...how is, um...?” He clearly couldn’t find the English words he needed, for he then pointed at her forehead.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela beamed. “I’m fine. Quite fine. Bin patched me up well. I apologize for waking you both. I know you work nights and must sleep in the daytime.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun, still sleepy and already not intelligent enough of the English language, screwed his eyebrows up in concentration. Bin quickly translated for him, the Korean slipping out easily, and Myungjun nodded again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He struggled again, stammering over his next English words. “Sleep...sleep well?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is </span>
  <em>
    <span>did you sleep well</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Angela corrected. “Go on, try and say it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And so Myungjun spoke, his words heavily accented. “Did you sleep well?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I did! Thank you very much, Myungjun.” But, to Bin, she fussed, “He’s been in America for a while and you haven’t taught him much English?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know English!” Myungjun exclaimed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin ignored him. “I like it when he relies on me. He’s cute, isn’t he?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela sniffed haughtily, clearly not appreciating Bin’s superiority complex. “I shall teach him English while I am here. I’ll work around our differing schedules to find the time. He needs to know if he is to make it in America. What is he to do if you were to leave, or get yourself into some sort of trouble?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin’s eyes twinkled with mischief, and he murmured, “I think you and I are both well aware that Dongmin will be more than excited to care for him in my stead.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela appeared affronted for only a second before she snapped, “Myungjun shouldn’t need </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone</span>
  </em>
  <span> to </span>
  <em>
    <span>care for</span>
  </em>
  <span> him. He’s strong and capable enough on his own; he just needs to speak English if he is to be taken seriously. And since you apparently have your head too far up your own ass, then I shall teach him, instead.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun watched the proceedings with slight confusion. It was clear he had lost track of the conversation at some point, for he glanced at Bin, who sighed and translated it all for him. Bin had hoped that Myungjun, always frustrated to be a charity case, would reject Angela’s help. But instead, his face brightened and he eagerly nodded his head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell her I’d love to learn English!” he exclaimed, excited for the opportunity.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin needn’t say anything; Angela seemed to understand what Myungjun’s decision was, and she grinned along with him. “See, Bin?” she teased. “Perhaps you ought to pay more attention to what Myungjun wants and doesn’t want.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a small huff, Bin stood from his seat. “We’re going to bed,” he declared. “Angela, there is money in the study; check the first drawer of my desk. Go and buy yourself a dress. You look like a dying duck in a thunderstorm. Please change immediately.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before Angela could say anything else, Bin whisked Myungjun back down the hallway, grumbling all the while about stupid, silly women.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun merely giggled and plastered himself to Bin’s side the moment they flopped back into bed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You like having her around.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The day I like having a </span>
  <em>
    <span>woman</span>
  </em>
  <span> around is the day I’ve truly gone mad.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you truly like her,” Myungjun argued. He kissed Bin’s chin. “She’s feisty. She’s smart. She’s capable. You like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course not. I like women with loose morals.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Need I remind you she’s an adulterer?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin blinked and stared up at the ceiling. “Oh,” he murmured. He glanced to Myungjun, who grinned widely, and fussed, “Don’t look at me like that. Fine, I like Angela. I think she’s an interesting woman.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun, satisfied to be proven correct, nuzzled into Bin’s side. He breathed deeply, then asked, “Do you like men who are feisty and smart and capable?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You ask that as if I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> dating you, love.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a small giggle, Myungjun closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Bin’s body. “I like knowing that you love me,” he murmured. “It makes me more happy than anything else in this world ever could.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin stared up at the ceiling, Myungjun’s warmth pressing into his side, and he thought of poor Angela. She knew Dongmin didn’t love her. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> she wasn’t loved, and yet she still loved unconditionally.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At least Bin would never again doubt Myungjun’s love for him, and he hoped Myungjun would never doubt </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> love.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>(๑OwO)</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was Sanha who noticed it first. Sanha, with the wisdom of a god and the aura of a child, had somehow been the one who commented, “Your maid is pregnant.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Bin had just laughed, finding the entire notion ridiculous. “Oh, please,” he tittered, waving a hand in order to dispel Sanha’s silly theory away. “Angela is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> pregnant. I think I would notice if she was pregnant.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sanha scoffed. “You didn’t notice your own lover stalking you when he thought we were sleeping together, so forgive me if I’m not very confident in your ability to pick up on small details.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin scowled. Sanha </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> have a point. Bin was sometimes a little stupid, and though he blamed that on his long life and lackluster attitude, things sometimes escaped him. He puffed on his cigar and rolled his eyes. “Fine, then. What makes you think she’s pregnant, though?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s two scents of blood on her, not just one. It’s subtle, but I think I know about blood enough to understand what it means.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve also fucked a fair amount of pregnant women.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Their maternal instincts kick in,” Sanha pointed out, grinning innocently. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Disgusting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway, since she’s living with you, do you think you’ll soon have a child in your midst?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin thought of such a possibility. He thought of it for five seconds before wrinkling his nose and shaking his head. “Ugh. I don’t want some rowdy infant to scream and cry and wail. My apartment already feels crowded enough without the addition of a baby.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then will Mr. Lee care for the child?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it even his child?” Bin wondered, tapping his cigar on his ashtray. “I’m not sure if she was sleeping with her husband or not, but it seems more likely that she would continue sexual relations with </span>
  <em>
    <span>both</span>
  </em>
  <span> Dongmin and her insane husband. Do you think she even knows who the father is?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sanha giggled a little bit, and leaned in to gossip conspiringly. “I do not believe she even knows yet she is pregnant. If she’s made no mention of it, then perhaps it has not even crossed her mind as a possibility.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin was inclined to agree, but then he remembered how secretive Angela was in the first place. She kept her business to herself. She hardly ever spoke up about her own life. Even when Bin would check on her wounds and ask if there was anything else he ought to know, she would shrug off his concerns with naught but a gracious smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So he shook his head. “She knows, likely. Women know these sorts of things. Besides, if her child is far enough along that you can smell its blood, then it’s far enough along that she would know about it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then why is she keeping it secret?” Sanha gave a small tut as he picked up some of the whiskey Bin had poured for him. He took a sip and grimaced, adding, “This is vile.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop drinking it, then,” Bin fussed. “And I suppose Angela is too humiliated to say much about it. After all, she’s still married and she could possibly be pregnant with some politician’s child. It’s a lot to handle. Poor Angela.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sanha pushed the whiskey aside and stood from his seat with a small groan, stretching his arms out over his head. “Do you have anything better than this disgusting whiskey? Like tea, or coffee or cocoa?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can make you tea.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sanha turned large eyes upon him. He looked like a small puppy, and he asked, voice too high-pitched for a vampire of his wickedness, “Would you make me some cocoa, Binnie?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, shut up.” Bin rolled his eyes and puffed on his cigar. “You can make it yourself. You know where everything is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It seemed Sanha wasn’t satisfied with that, however, for he pursed his lips. “You have a live-in maid now, don’t you? Shouldn’t this be in her job description?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t wake her. She’s pregnant, apparently, and she’s been working all day.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But his words fell on deaf ears. Sanha scurried down the hallway and began to pound on Angela’s door. Bin sighed and stood, following close behind in order to remedy whatever frustrations would arise from Sanha’s bold attitude.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Angela answered her door, she wore a dressing gown and asked, “What is this about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin grabbed Sanha’s shoulder and tugged him away from the door. “So sorry,” he apologized gruffly. “My acquaintance here is being an asshole.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just want some cocoa,” Sanha complained. “Bin won’t make me any, but I know </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> will, Miss.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He certainly was laying on the charm, and it appeared he was trying his best to appeal to Angela’s more matronly side. Bin wanted to gag, especially when he realized it was working. Angela was falling for his charisma.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He ought to warn her that Sanha was untrustworthy.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I suppose…” she began, clearing her throat. “Oh, but I had assumed I was done for the day. I’m tired.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You are done,” Bin assured her. “Sanha can make it by himself. He’s not as helpless and idiotic as he looks.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sanha scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest in a pout. “Bin always does this to me. He teases me so, Miss, and he doesn’t allow me to ask for help. He says I am a growing, young lad and must do everything by myself. He does not realize how lonesome I really am; I’m young, after all, only seventeen and an orphan!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela looked upon Sanha with pity. Bin smacked the back of Sanha’s head. “Don’t do that,” he hissed, switching to Korean. “I hate it when you do that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sanha winced, far more than he necessarily needed to, and whined again, still speaking in English, “Bin is always so rough with me! I wish someone around here cared for me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin wanted to smack Sanha again, but Angela was quick to grab onto Sanha’s hand and tug him aside. “Alright,” she conceded, closing the door to her bedroom. “I can make you some cocoa. Bin, please don’t treat this young lad so harshly. He seems to look up to you rather well.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sanha shot her a charming smile, but he spoke in Korean, his words directed toward Bin. “Do you think she’d like knowing I used to fuck you like a dog?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope Myungjun kills you one day,” Bin snapped back, and Sanha only giggled a bit as Angela led him toward the kitchen. For lack of anything else to do, Bin followed along, watching with interest as Sanha conversed with Angela. The boy was a skilled liar, likely due to centuries of honing such a talent, and it seemed to come into use as Angela interrogated him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How do you know Bin?” she asked, lighting the stove before closing the small door that contained coal. She kept her dressing gown wrapped tightly around her person as she shuffled along, preparing the cocoa for Sanha.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sanha sat at the table, awaiting his drink, and replied, “I work at a bathhouse nearby and met Bin there. I took a liking to him, since we share the same language, but he only tolerates me, unfortunately. I want him to like me, though. I consider him a big brother.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin found another ashtray which he ground his cigar into. “I consider him a nuisance,” he mentioned to Angela, who clicked her tongue at him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t consider him a nuisance! He seems like a sweet boy. It’s Sanha, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sanha nodded his head. “That’s correct, Miss!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin wished he could explain all of Sanha’s wrongdoings. Bin wished he could warn Angela of Sanha’s vile behavior. But unless he wished to ruin himself, as well, he could do nothing but keep his mouth shut.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Angela filled up the kettle with water (complaining all the while, “When on earth will the city add plumbing to this building? They have the resources to do so, so why wait?”), Sanha glanced over at Bin and wiggled his eyebrows.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Bin asked, keeping his voice low and speaking in his native language.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shall I ask about her pregnancy?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. We’re not supposed to know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But it’ll be so much fun!” Sanha whined.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin shook his head, but Sanha didn’t like to listen to him. Sanha never </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> listen to him. Sanha waved seniority over him like a fucking flag, and he refused to listen to Bin’s advice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Miss!” he exclaimed, back to English. “Bin has informed me that you’re pregnant!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin was quick to grab a drying pot and throw it in Sanha’s direction. Sanha caught it quite easily, laughing all the while. “What? Am I not supposed to know? Oh, dear, I apologize, Bin. You know I cannot keep such delightful secrets, though!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Bin spared a glance to Angela, she appeared distraught. “Who...who told you?” she asked Bin, voice lowered to a whisper.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No one,” Bin lied, throwing a glare in Sanha’s direction. “And </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> wasn’t supposed to mention it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela rubbed at her forehead, where the bandage still remained. “Does Myungjun know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Does...</span>
  <em>
    <span>Dongmin</span>
  </em>
  <span> know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her eyes were round, horror filling them to the brim at the idea of her lover knowing of the baby that lay dormant inside of her. Bin felt bad, and he sought to provide comfort. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. No one knows, save for myself and Sanha. And it’s...it was only speculation. I’m not...I’m not positive of this news. Sanha and I merely discussed it, that’s all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sanha was a headache. Why didn’t Myungjun strike him down already? Bin was tired of him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can’t...you can’t tell anyone,” Angela stammered, wringing her hands in front of her. “Please, Bin, I can’t let Dongmin know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So it </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> true. Bin stepped closer to Angela, trying to talk with his voice lowered, trying to ensure that sneaky bastard Sanha wouldn’t hear. “Why do you not want Dongmin to know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re not...we’re not a couple. He’s a politician who had a love affair with his maid; that’s all. If he knew, he’d do the right thing and take me in, and his entire career would be ruined. He might end up destitute because of me! And I’m a married woman. I can’t go with him so easily, and it would just cause more trouble. I can’t have him knowing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then what were you going to do?” Bin smiled at Angela. “Babies are noticeable. I’m not so sure if you could hide your pregnancy for the full nine months.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela shrugged her shoulders helplessly. “I hadn’t...I hadn’t thought that far in advance. I was trying to figure it out still. I suppose if I can just keep myself hidden from Dongmin, all will be well. And it’s only the last few months, isn’t it? I wouldn’t have to hide my pregnancy for the entire term.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So will </span>
  <em>
    <span>we</span>
  </em>
  <span> keep the baby, then?” Bin asked, raising an eyebrow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No! I wouldn’t ask that of you. I was…” Angela placed a hand over her stomach. “I don’t know. I was going to see if an orphanage would take my child in.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin said nothing. He knew firsthand that the orphanages in the city weren’t lovely sites. He had visited a few of the homes before, sometimes for a meal and sometimes out of pure boredom. The children were often shipped off to work as indentured servants elsewhere, and now with the railroads stretching across the country, many were put to labor out west. But how could he say any of that to a woman clearly suffering with such a drastic choice? It was likely she knew; he didn’t want her to dwell on such a matter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Realizing Bin would keep silent, Angela turned back to the kettle, and Bin leaned up against the counter.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sanha won’t tell,” Bin assured her. “And I won’t tell. I hate gossip, anyway. Such boring, uncivilized behavior.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> gossip,” Sanha countered, and Bin lazily gave him the fig hand (a lovely, improper gesture he had learned from Myungjun, who, in turned, seemed to credit the Italians). </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nothing more on the matter was said. Sanha began to speak of other things, of his fictional life where he was the victim and Bin was his handsome savior, and Bin merely listened, rolling his eyes every now and again. By the time the cocoa was made, Angela was smiling once more and had sat down to listen to Sanha’s tales.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The front door opened. Bin glanced down the hallway with interest when he heard two sets of voices; Myungjun’s loud, boisterous one and the deeper, more subdued tone from Minhyuk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“More company,” Bin muttered just as Myungjun burst into the kitchen, throwing open the door and blinking at the small group in surprise.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela stared back at him, her eyes wide. “You’re…” She pointed at Myungjun’s suit. “You’re bleeding!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sure enough, he was. Blood seeped from a wound in his stomach, but Myungjun waved it off. “Not silver,” he informed Bin, who narrowed his eyes at the blood. It smelled delightful. He could tell that Sanha was fidgeting, too, and he hoped the wound would soon heal itself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What happened?” Bin asked. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Minhyuk lumbered into the kitchen, Myungjun started to explain. “I took Minhyuk on a practice round. We went to go face off with that shoemaker, and I thought two hunters were better than one. The shoemaker tried to stab Minhyuk, but I blocked him with my body, so he got me, instead. He didn’t use silver, though. I don’t think he expected his killer to be a fellow vampire.” At that, Myungjun grinned wickedly. “They never do. A tragic mistake on their part, really. Anyway, I let Minhyuk give him the final blow, though I </span>
  <em>
    <span>wish</span>
  </em>
  <span> I could have done it. There’s nothing more exhilarating than watching the life slowly ebb away from a filthy vampire.” At that, Myungjun glanced toward Sanha. His grin widened. “Isn’t that right, Sanha?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sanha scowled, clearly a bit perturbed from the expression on Myungjun’s face. “Don’t be crude,” he chastised. “I’m here as a guest, and you wouldn’t kill a guest, would you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Depends,” Myungjun responded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minhyuk shot Sanha a rather unsavory glare before asking, “Would you mind, Myungjun, if I took my leave? I’d rather not be near…” He gestured at both Bin and Sanha.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sanha chuckled. “You’d rather not be near vampires?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Homosexuals,” Minhyuk shot back. Sanha frowned again. “I assume you’re also one if you hang around Myungjun and Bin.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The same could be said for you,” Sanha muttered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin hadn’t ever wanted Sanha and Minhyuk to meet. They were far too different, far too opposite, and far too likely to cause trouble. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was the added bonus of Minhyuk being an attractive, young man, someone highly intelligent and intuitive, the type of person Sanha would lust after. Bin wanted to avoid </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> nonsense, too, and so he stood from his seat and began to gesture for Minhyuk to leave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s quite late, Minhyuk, so why don’t you go upstairs to Dongmin’s apartment, hm? You won’t have fun down here with us, with the </span>
  <em>
    <span>homosexuals</span>
  </em>
  <span>, will you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minhyuk barely gave Bin the time of day. He seemed more focused on defending his honor in front of Sanha. “I’m not a degenerate like you are,” he snapped to Sanha, eyes blazing with frustration. “I am only here because I am assisting Myungjun in capturing vile, despicable creatures such as yourself. If you want to live, then I suggest you hold your tongue around me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun sighed and patted Minhyuk’s back. “It’s my job to kill Sanha, but I’ll be sure to drag you along when I decide to lay down the final blow. But, really, you ought to go to bed. It’ll be morning soon and you need your sleep.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took a few seconds for Minhyuk to nod his head in agreement. He glanced at Myungjun, eyeing his wound with distaste, and asked, “Are you sure you’ll be fine?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course I will!” Myungjun exclaimed, smiling brightly. “No need to fret over me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I...I wanted to thank you for saving me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anytime,” Myungjun giggled, pinching at Minhyuk’s cheek. “Thank </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> for your assistance. I can’t wait to kill more vampires with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a rare smile toward Myungjun (and an inappropriate gesture toward Sanha), Minhyuk was off, rushing out of the apartment as if staying too long would cause him to become just as unsavory as its inhabitants. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin managed to kick Sanha out, too, though the boy complained all the while.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I haven’t gotten to drink the cocoa Angela made me!” he whined as Bin shoved him to the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll drink it in your place, do not worry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Bin</span>
  </em>
  <span>—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good night, Sanha. Please do try and get yourself killed so I won’t have to deal with you again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was finally able to close the door on his friend, and he retreated back to the kitchen, where Angela had overcome her shock and was fretting over Myungjun’s bloody shirt. Myungjun, at least, seemed perfectly fine, and was trying to explain himself and his fast-healing body to Angela in broken English.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Better,” Myungjun was repeating, trying to push Angela’s hands aside. “All better. Better, no blood, better.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Jun, you’ve bled copious amounts of blood,” Bin teased, sliding in beside his maid. “Angela is rightfully worried about you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun pursed his lips. “But I’m not bleeding anymore. The wound’s closed up. I drank blood from a dog to heal myself. There’s no point in getting her involved, is there?” And then, in English, he snapped, “Angela! It’s better!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Bin corrected, and he was the one to finally move Angela’s hands away from Myungjun’s torn shirt. “Angela, darling, I can take care of this. I want to be the one to see my lover shirtless, after all.” She glanced up at him and Bin smiled. “He’s fine, trust me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How the hell did he get injured like this?” she asked, drawing away from Myungjun. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin came up with the lie rather easily. He knew he would have to relay it to Myungjun later on so they could continue such a tale. “He works at a nightclub. It’s an unsavory one, and he meets unsavory people. But I think most of the blood here is not his. I’ll look it over; you must go to sleep, alright? You have a couple of hours until morning.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She didn’t appear fully convinced, but at least she relented. “Alright,” she muttered. “Wake me if there’s anything you need.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course,” Bin agreed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She took a step toward the hallway, then added, “And don’t tell Myungjun about…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin understood. He sighed. “He’ll have to know at some point. We can’t keep him in the dark, and wouldn’t it be better if he knew it ought to remain a secret?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, but let me tell him. Just...not now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin didn’t like hiding something from his lover, but Angela was desperate and scared. He felt pity for his maid, and so he nodded his head in agreement, chastising himself for having become so soft. Myungjun certainly did a number on him. He would have never followed in line with a maid before he met Myungjun, and yet here he was, sympathizing with a damn human.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Angela smiled at him, though, he decided he didn’t care how much he had changed. It was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>good</span>
  </em>
  <span> change, a change that made him feel warm inside from the trust this one woman put in him, and as he bid her good night, he couldn’t help but smile himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun noticed and narrowed his eyes. “What did she say to make you smile?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hm? Oh, nothing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Something about a secret?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know too little English and yet you know too much English.” Bin sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Never mind that. Were you really so foolish to get stabbed? I expected better from you, Myungjun.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun glanced down at his torn shirt. “It wasn’t silver. I wouldn’t have allowed myself to get stabbed if it was silver. Besides, the vampire had been trying to kill Minhyuk. I just made a friend and I’m not going to lose him so easily.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me see it,” Bin demanded, drawing closer to Myungjun. He lifted his lover’s shirt and examined the afflicted spot, brushing his fingers across bloodied skin. The wound was naught but a faint scar, and even that would likely recede by the time they fell asleep.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun stood still all the while. “I have to say,” he whispered, a small smirk on his face, “I’m happy enough that I have such impressive healing powers. If I were human, it would have killed me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t remind me,” Bin replied, that familiar ache of worry creeping into his heart. How many times would he have to watch Myungjun risk his life? How many times would Myungjun come home, bloodied and beaten? How many times would he have to wonder, </span>
  <em>
    <span>is today the day my lover dies?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You need to stop putting yourself in such...dangerous situations.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This has been the first time in a while. And I would’ve been fine; it was Minhyuk I protected. If it was just me, then I could have parried the blow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin glared at Myungjun. “Then don’t bring Minhyuk along anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a crooked smile, Myungjun shook his head. “I can’t do that. He’s learning a lot. Besides, two of us are better than one. Once he trains a bit more, he’ll be able to protect both me and himself. It’ll be fine.” Myungjun leaned forward and bumped his nose into Bin’s nose, that same smile still on his face. “Please don’t worry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I always worry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, stop it. It can’t be good for your health. In any case, it’s not doing much for your looks. You seem frazzled more often. I don’t like frazzled Bin; I miss my seductive Bin.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin pouted and argued, “I’m still seductive.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not really, no.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was being goaded into action. Bin had lived with Myungjun long enough now to know when he was being tricked and goaded, and this was definitely one of those times. Myungjun’s grin was wide and he wrapped his arms loosely around Bin’s neck, awaiting the next move.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you think you’re so seductive,” Myungjun whispered in Bin’s ear, “then why not prove me wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could definitely do that. Even if he was being goaded, he didn’t care. He wanted to prove to Myungjun just how seductive he truly was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He captured Myungjun’s lips in a passionate kiss, wrapping his arms around Myungjun’s waist. Myungjun melted into the kiss easily, expectantly, and closed his eyes on reflex. Long fingers carded through Bin’s unruly hair as they kissed, pulling and tugging and massaging at his scalp. It was a lovely feeling, and Bin was upset when Myungjun pulled back to ask, “Bedroom?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm,” Bin agreed, though he didn’t want to move. He returned to kissing Myungjun’s lips with messy, open-mouthed kisses. “Or here,” he suggested.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun snorted and returned the kisses as best he could. “Last time you fucked me in the kitchen, you nearly broke my back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I won’t fuck you against the table this time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then what, pray tell, </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> you fuck me against?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin’s eyes searched around the kitchen, desperate for something that would suffice. “The stove?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun glanced behind him at the stove and scowled. His fingers curled around Bin’s hair and gave a sharp tug. Bin hissed slightly in pain, and Myungjun replied, “The stove is </span>
  <em>
    <span>hot</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You won’t die from fire.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not getting burned while we fuck. That’s sick.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re the one who stuffs garlic down my throat!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>fun</span>
  </em>
  <span>, not sick. Besides, you’re the one in pain during that, not me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What a kind lover you are.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I try my best.” Myungjun smacked Bin’s ass and demanded, “Let’s go to the bedroom, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>gal-sneaker</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin laughed as he lifted Myungjun into his arms. “What a strange English phrase for you to have picked up on.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun wrapped his legs around Bin’s waist and leaned into his shoulder, planting kisses all over his neck. “Like it?” he asked. “Angela taught it to me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s teaching you slang instead of actual English? What a useless teacher.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She told me it’d be perfect for you.” Myungjun drew back, his eyes wide with delight. “What does it mean? Did I use it correctly?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin thought, in moments like this, Myungjun looked far too innocent for the sexual vampire he was. He looked almost like a child, and Bin blamed himself for the loss of innocence. But he couldn’t focus too heavily on it, not when Myungjun rolled his hips into Bin’s as punishment for his silence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Answer me,” he demanded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin sighed as he lumbered off to the bedroom. “It means a master of seduction. You’ve used it correctly.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Damn. I thought it meant asshole, or bastard, or any one of those fantastic insults.” He kissed Bin again. “Ah, no matter. I’ll insult you enough while you fuck me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know those insults turn me on.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Only a despicable creature as yourself would get harder when I call you a fucking whore,” Myungjun complained, but that certainly didn’t stop him from nipping at Bin’s neck. His fangs pierced skin every now and again, but he would lick the wounds closed and drag his lips down to Bin’s cravat, which he tugged at in frustration.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You hide too much skin,” he murmured as Bin opened the door to their bedroom. “You didn’t even go out, for god’s sake. Why is this on?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So I could look dashing,” Bin responded, closing the door behind them. He dropped Myungjun onto the bed before tearing the cravat off, tossing it aside in the darkened room. “And stop using such religious speech. You’re a vampire; we’re supposed to fear those words.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What words?” Myungjun asked, faux innocence and all. “God? Jesus?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cross and church and priest and all that good nonsense? Is that it? Should I refrain from—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin silenced Myungjun by stuffing two fingers into his mouth. Myungjun instantly clamped his lips over them and began to suck, eyes half-lidded as he looked at Bin with a smug arrogance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really,” Bin scoffed, feeling properly scandalized, “you have such a filthy mouth.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun moaned around his fingers, his words mumbled and confusing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What was that, dear?” Bin asked, though he didn’t move his hands away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun rolled his eyes, tongue wrapping around Bin’s pointer finger and drenching it with saliva. He opened his mouth, panting, drool dripping down from his lips, but Bin merely put one more finger alongside the other two.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Keep sucking,” he demanded. “I need your jaw working so you can suck on something else.” He leaned in, fingers curling in Myungjun’s mouth, and whispered, “And so these fingers can enter yet another tight orifice.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was truly an erotic sight, watching Myungjun moan around his fingers, sucking them as if it were his cock. His mouth was warm, lips stretched widely around skin, and when Myungjun peered over at him with lust in his gaze, Bin felt his cock twitch. With his free hand, he rubbed himself through his pants, his own tongue darting out over his lips as he watched Myungjun’s little performance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he felt he could take it no more, he pulled his fingers away. A string of saliva followed, and Bin gave a small hum of contentment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Very nice,” he complimented.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun huffed, his cheeks flushed. “Don’t treat this as a business transaction. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Very nice</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he mocked with a small scoff. “Is this how you treated the whores you used to fuck?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re getting mouthy,” Bin muttered as he unbuttoned his vest. “Take your pants off, love.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun glared for a second or two longer before moving to follow Bin’s commands. He shimmied out of his pants, tossing them somewhere on the floor. His shirt received the same treatment, though he was far less careful with that fabric. Bin couldn’t blame him; it was already torn and bloodied. There was no point in even trying to save it. They could simply buy another one.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Once Myungjun was fully unclothed, he leaned back in bed, back propped up against the pillows. His cock was half-hard, and he cupped it as he watched Bin continue to undress.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin, for his part, took his time. He enjoyed watching Myungjun grow all the more frustrated at his lack of urgency. Sexual frustration made for a better fuck, and so Bin moved as slowly as possible. He folded his shirt and put that aside before unclipping his suspenders. Those, too, were laid next to his shirt and he got to work on his pants, pretending to fumble with the button and shooting Myungjun an apologetic grin now and again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun seemed to guess what he was doing, and as he lazily tugged on his own cock, he asked, “Are you enjoying yourself?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dreadfully so. Are you?” Bin countered, looking pointedly to Myungjun’s cock.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bastard.” Myungjun sighed and pressed his thumb over the tip of his cock, whimpering a little at the sudden shiver that went through him. “Ah, fuck, I guess my own hand will do. Sometimes it’s even better than you are. I think, right now, it’ll be much better.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If anything hurried Bin out of his pants, it was certainly </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He didn’t want Myungjun finishing by his own hand. He didn’t want to watch as his lover merely jerked himself off with very little action.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Except, once he was naked, Myungjun looked far too arrogant. Damn him. He was wrapped around Myungjun’s finger and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He flopped back onto the bed beside Myungjun and patted his stomach. “Come here,” he ordered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun, beside him, raised his eyebrows. “And do what?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Suck me off, obviously.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought you were going to finger me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am.” Bin wiggled his fingers. “While you suck me off. It’ll save on time.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>It’ll save on time?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Holy fuck, this </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> a business transaction to you, isn’t it?” Myungjun laughed lightly, and despite his words, he soon followed through with Bin’s demands. He was careful as he climbed over Bin, sitting down with his legs on either side of Bin’s stomach. He glanced back, his smirk growing ever larger as he looked down at Bin. “How do I look from this angle?” he asked, cheeky.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He looked </span>
  <em>
    <span>wonderful</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Bin had a perfect view of his back, of his slender waist, of his lean torso. His skin was sun-kissed, tanner than Bin’s was despite having been out of the sun for nearly a year, and old freckles littered his shoulder. He only had a few scars, namely the ones from the vampire hunters who had forced him to turn vampiric, but the scars only added to his sultry look.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin leaned forward and planted a few kisses onto Myungjun’s skin as his fingers roamed the expanse of his back. Down and down they went, nimbly running across Myungjun’s sides, outlining his ribs as Bin continued to kiss whatever he could reach. Myungjun shuddered under his touch before bending his body down, offering Bin a far better view of his ass.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This is my favorite part of you,” Bin commented, gripping onto a supple cheek.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun groaned as he nuzzled against Bin’s cock. “You’re vile.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, please. I’m not.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean, </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> favorite part of you is your face, your handsome smile, but all you can say is that you like my ass?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin grinned and kissed Myungjun’s backside before pinching the skin he had been caressing. “It’s a nice ass,” he defended himself. “Besides, I know you adore my cock most of all.” As if to drive the point home, Bin thrust his hips upward. His cock hit Myungjun’s nose, and Bin asked, “Isn’t that right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “So narcissistic,” he grumbled, but he still began to pepper kisses across Bin’s hard-on, his tongue darting out every now and again to lick a stripe up the side.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin appreciated the attention and he continued to rub and knead Myungjun’s ass. “Get it nice and wet,” he ordered, voice barely a murmur as Myungjun worked. “You want to make sure it’ll fit you nicely, hm? You’re always so tight, and I’d hate to break you in two, love.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun moaned in response. He was getting turned on by the words; Bin could see his cock begin to twitch to life, and so he continued, “Though I think tonight I can fuck you hard enough to break the bed in two. Would you like that, Jun? Shall we break the bed?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun responded as he wrapped his lips around Bin’s cock, a small </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> that was far too muffled to be truly distinguished. Ah, but Bin </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> Myungjun, knew what he said even when his mouth was stretched too wide from blowjobs. He laughed at the words and planted another kiss onto Myungjun’s ass before he lapped at the ring of muscle right before him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun cried out lightly, and in response, Bin thrust upwards, forcing Myungjun to take in even more of his cock. When he heard Myungjun choke, he made sure to control his thrusts, though he couldn’t deny himself the sinful desire to continue to make the boy gag. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He prodded Myungjun’s entrance and listened to the resounding moans. Those were lovely enough as it was, and Bin found himself completely taken by desire. He tongue-fucked Myungjun for a bit, delighting in all the wonderful noises his lover made, before he finally drew back and took a deep breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You taste </span>
  <em>
    <span>exquisite</span>
  </em>
  <span>, darling,” he murmured, blindly reaching over to his nightstand. His hand fumbled for a bit, while his free hand stroked Myungjun’s erection, thumb passing over the slit and rubbing precome wherever he could. “How do I taste?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The response was too muffled to make out. Bin peered over as best he could, smiling when he noticed how much saliva had rolled down Myungjun’s chin as he worked on sucking Bin’s cock.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm, if you keep that up, I’ll cum before I ever fuck you.” Bin finally found the oils he kept stored away and he grabbed one at random, pouring it over his fingers and rubbing them together. “But you’d like that, wouldn’t you? I think you’d like to drink all of my cum, hm?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He assumed the moan that Myungjun gave was an affirmative, and his smile curled into a wide grin as he gently pushed one finger into Myungjun’s entrance. He could feel the tightness, and he hummed a bit as he worked on loosening Myungjun up. Though he wanted to pound hard into Myungjun and fuck him into the bed, he didn’t want blood out of this. Bloodplay was only fun for a bit. If he was single again, sure, he’d appreciate bloodplay. But Myungjun was his love, his precious flower, and he shied away from the idea of purposefully bringing him more pain than necessary.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun’s mouth slid off of his cock briefly. In response, Bin whined and asked, “Why have you stopped?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun spit on his cock and then grasped at the base, fingers slipping a bit in the saliva that had spread. “Y-You’re going a bit too fast,” he complained.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin squeezed his eyes shut. Myungjun always had beautifully long fingers, and those fingers were put to good use on a regular basis. He hissed as Myungjun licked a stripe up his cock, then asked, “Did it hurt, love?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mmhmm.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So sorry.” Bin supposed he </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> been prodding his finger a bit too hard and too fast. He curled it a bit before pouring more oil onto his other fingers. “It’ll feel good soon, I promise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun had returned to suckling on the head of Bin’s cock, and in return, Bin decided to jerk him off, as well. He pumped quickly, hoping to ease the pain of stretching. It didn’t take long for Myungjun’s cock to become fully hard in his hands, and he fisted and pumped, listening to Myungjun moan wantonly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Keep sucking,” he ordered as he added in another finger. Myungjun tensed but Bin didn’t stop. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Myungjun, fuck, keep on.” He was nearing his limit, and he laughed breathlessly; they had yet to begin the main act, and he was already coming undone from Myungjun’s ministrations. His past self would hate his present self. Nothing but a monogamous cock-sucker, really; he had become quite pathetic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh, but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved</span>
  </em>
  <span> Myungjun, and he loved how Myungjun made him feel. He would be as pathetic as he wanted as long as he could be pathetic in Myungjun’s arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He continued to stroke Myungjun, faster and faster, until Myungjun was humping against him erratically. The younger man didn’t pull back, but his broken moans told Bin everything he needed to know. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can cum,” he murmured, pushing one last finger into Myungjun’s tight entrance. “Cum all over my hands, darling.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gave Myungjun’s cock one last tug, and then Myungjun came, his cries silenced from the erection in his own mouth. Bin pumped him to completion, then pulled Myungjun off of him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Myungjun turned around, his eyes were glazed over. Spittle and precome were streaked across his face and he smiled lazily as he settled in Bin’s lap. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you stretch me enough?” he asked, looking at the cum that was splattered against Bin’s chest. It was his own cum, and yet he dragged a finger through it, the smile growing on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe,” Bin murmured, watching him. Myungjun stuck the finger in his mouth and sucked, sucked his own cum, and Bin felt his mouth go dry. “Fuck,” he hissed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think I can handle more fingers,” Myungjun teased. He bent his head and then licked up Bin’s chest, cleaning up the rest of the cum.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that moment, Bin could think of nothing else but pounding into Myungjun as hard as he could. Pain be damned; he was determined to make this night last forever. He grabbed Myungjun and switched places quickly, pushing Myungjun into the mattress as he hovered right above.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You asked for it, love,” he whispered, breath trickling across Myungjun’s ear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Myungjun simply grinned, his eyes wide with anticipation as he waited for what was to come.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>\( •_•)_†  (•ᵥᵥ•)</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bin had to admit, Angela was likely the most attentive maid he had ever hired. Despite her pregnancy, she cleaned the entire apartment, from top to bottom, even getting the hard-to-reach areas with vigor. She did laundry and cooked and sewed and never once complained about her chores. She even took the time to help Myungjun with English every evening, sounding out words with him very slowly and helping him write down all of the letters of the alphabet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He could barely read Korean,” Bin told her one day, proud when Myungjun managed to rewrite the English alphabet from memory. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun had understood most of that sentence and hadn’t talked to Bin for the rest of the night.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela still visited with Dongmin, too, and Bin paid close attention to their interactions. He supposed he could see where Angela was coming from; Dongmin held her close but his touch lacked the romantic passion that a lover’s touch ought to have. He liked her and appreciated her but was unable to return her love.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin thought it must be painful for Angela to go through life without anyone to truly love her, and as he and Myungjun walked down the street early one morning, before the sun had risen, he asked, “Does Dongmin love Angela?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun stepped over a puddle. It had rained in the afternoon and everything was still damp. “I think he does.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But does he </span>
  <em>
    <span>really?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Angela seems to think otherwise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well…” Myungjun trailed off before shrugging his shoulders. “Dongmin likes </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>, in any case.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He certainly does.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Remember when he got drunk and made out with me?” Myungjun grinned, finding the memory hilarious. He had laughed all the while when it happened and had kissed back with glee. Bin had half a mind to pull them apart, but then Dongmin threw up on Myungjun’s shirt and Bin decided that had been punishment enough for the both of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He gave a small grunt. Myungjun continued. “And I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> he’s slept with one of your newspaper colleagues. You shouldn’t have introduced them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin waved that off. “It was hardly </span>
  <em>
    <span>sleeping together</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Dongmin wasn’t penetrated, nor did he penetrate anyone. It was a lot of fumbling and humping, I believe.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, regardless, if he truly loved Angela, I don’t know if he would have desires for other men. I mean, I truly love you and I have no desires for anyone else.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Except Dongmin.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s handsome. Can you blame me?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin smacked Myungjun on the back of his head, and Myungjun merely giggled in delight before he hooked his arm around Bin’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He might not love Angela,” Myungjun added, “but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> care for her. He cares for her very much. And while it might be tragic that she’s unable to experience a love such as our own, isn’t it enough that she has someone who’ll be there for her through it all? He’d come running to her side in a heartbeat. Maybe, deep down, he loves her but he’s confused. His entire life changed in the course of one year. He’s had to face the possibility he might be homosexual, he’s been sleeping with a married woman, and now his neighbors and close friends are vampires. I feel bad for him. I feel bad for </span>
  <em>
    <span>both</span>
  </em>
  <span> of them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin supposed Myungjun was correct. Dongmin was in a difficult period of his life and was struggling to maintain his relationship with Angela the best he could. At least he never treated Angela poorly. He was a perfect gentleman, and he ensured she could want for nothing else in life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nothing except his love.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin sighed. It was definitely tragic for his two friends but he knew not how to help them. He was a vampire; his kind didn’t exactly instill virtuous love unto others. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perhaps,” he started as they edged closer to their apartment, “if we were to talk to them, to help them work through their own emotions and feelings, then we might be able to persuade Dongmin that he </span>
  <em>
    <span>does</span>
  </em>
  <span> love Angela.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t be ridiculous,” Myungjun scoffed. “You cannot persuade someone that they love another.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I feel as if I persuaded you rather well.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If anything persuaded me, it was your cock.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You said already that my smile is your favorite part of me. You can’t take that back now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I said that in a sex-induced haze. Don’t read too deeply into things.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Bin rolled his eyes, Myungjun smirked, satisfied in his silly responses. Despite his words, though, he tightened his grip on Bin’s arm, and once he ensured no one was around, he reached up to kiss Bin lightly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin kissed him back, then drew away. It was dangerous to kiss on the streets. Even if they appeared empty, there might be people watching from their homes, peering out the windows as the sun just barely began to rise. They couldn’t risk their secret escaping the confines of their own apartment, as much as Bin wanted to scream it out for the world to hear.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun smiled at him, a kind smile reserved for these quiet moments. He then whispered, “I love you very much.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin returned the smile. “I love you, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean it, Binnie. I don’t know if words can ever express just how much I adore you. It makes me sad that Angela and Dongmin will never experience such a love, but...oh, goodness, I don’t think </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone</span>
  </em>
  <span> can experience this burning love I have for you. It’s stronger than anything, even my need to feed.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin was unused to hearing such beautiful words, such sentences spun out of gold. He was no good with sentimental moments like this, moments where he was expected to express his innermost thoughts. Myungjun still managed to pull it out of him effortlessly; just a mere glance, and Bin was undone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know how many ways there are to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>I love you</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he murmured, brushing a few strands of Myungjun’s hair out of his eyes and placing them underneath the top hat Myungjun wore. “If we go off languages, likely a thousand or more. I only speak thirteen languages, so I can start with English and move on from there—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d rather you not.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d end with Portugese. Just in case you were curious.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wasn’t,” Myungjun replied. “Hearing it in Korean is good enough for me.” He wrapped his arm around Bin, shuffling forward again and exclaimed, “Winter is on the horizon, isn’t it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin glanced up at the sky. Night was being chased away by the morning sun, and the stars were beginning to disperse. Had he been human, he would have felt the crisp, Autumn winds, but as a vampire he could only shrug his shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I suppose,” he agreed. “Not for another month or two, however. Why do you ask?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m making conversation.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can you find something more interesting to make conversation over?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm, I take back my love confession. You’re infuriating.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun might have backtracked on his admission, but he still didn’t let go of Bin’s arm. They walked slowly together as the sun threatened to rise higher and burn their sensitive skin. Occasionally, Bin would comment on the architectural genius of certain buildings nearby or else on the history of the areas they passed. Myungjun listened, enthralled, and asked questions as Bin spoke.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a lovely walk, one they did not often partake in, and so by the time they reached their apartment, Bin could not lose his smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun scoffed at him and brushed aside some of his hair as they entered the building. “Is my company so fantastic that you cannot stop smiling for an instant?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s true.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I accept the compliment.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin laughed as he wrapped an arm around Myungjun’s waist, leading him up the beautiful staircase. “Honestly, love, you really do put me in such a bind. I enjoy our time together.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun leaned into his touch and sighed. “I enjoy it, too, very much so. We need to start taking walks together more often.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We would if you weren’t always off finding vampires to kill.” Bin clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, a sign of his displeasure. “There’s more to life than bloodshed and decapitation.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not much more, though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, not </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span> more, but still.” They climbed to the second story and Bin noticed the sharp smell of blood. His nose was rather keen on picking up such smells, and so he wanted to shrug it off, figuring that someone nearby might have cut themselves.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But the blood smelled rather familiar. He scrunched up his nose and sniffed, trying to figure out where he had smelled that blood before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As he stepped further down the hallway, though, he began to understand what was happening. He heard voices coming from his apartment, along with a muffled cry that seemed to belong to a female. Myungjun heard it, too, if the vulgar swear that fell from his mouth was any indication. Together, they hurried over to their door, which was thrown wide open. Their sitting room was trashed, with chairs toppled over and some of Bin’s fine whiskey shattered across the carpet. He felt his jaw tense as he stepped over the wreck, grabbing Myungjun’s hand to keep him in line. Myungjun seemed angrier, somehow, eyes blazing with disbelief as he stared at the mess around him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a male voice, angry and loud. Following was a resounding slap, skin against skin, and the same, panicked voice of a woman crying out for help.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Angela</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That was why the blood smelled familiar. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Her husband is mean</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He let go of Myungjun’s hand in order to race further into his apartment. He sidestepped a broken table and hurried to the guest bedroom. That door, too, was opened, and Bin was finally able to meet Angela’s disgusting, pathetic husband as he beat her and grumbled obscenities toward her. She was weak, barely able to react upon feeling his blows, but Bin was proud to note that she seemed to have defended herself at one point. The man’s sweaty, balding head was dripping blood. Bin hoped it would give him permanent scarring.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he could hit Angela again, Bin grabbed onto his wrist and yanked him backwards. Angela fell from his grasp, half-supported by the bed, and looked up in shock at her rescuers.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me kill him,” Myungjun growled. He was right behind Bin, fury shining through his voice, but Bin ignored him for the time being.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mr. Schaefer, I presume,” Bin greeted in English, smiling brightly. “My, but it is an </span>
  <em>
    <span>honor</span>
  </em>
  <span> to meet such a noble gentleman. Drunk so early in the morning and beating your wife? You embody the true definition of dignified.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The older man grunted and tried to pull out of Bin’s hold. Bin was strong, however, and was quite unwilling to let such a violent man go so easily.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is this your Chinese lover?” the man asked, slurring his words as he tugged his arm. Bin continued to smile, merely glancing once to Angela who appeared to be quite winded. She wore naught but a nightgown, torn at a sleeve and hanging from her figure. Her hair, typically braided and pinned overnight, was in complete disarray, almost as if it had been yanked. She had new bruises on her face and her cuts had been reopened, fresh blood trailing down her pale skin. Her arms wrapped around her middle and Bin hoped the child resting in her womb remained uninjured.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m certainly not Chinese,” Bin corrected the man, speaking in Angela’s place. “And I am not her lover. She is my housemaid, and I’m very displeased that you’ve attacked her in such an awful manner.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man scoffed at him. “She’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> wife!” he announced. “I can do with her whatever the hell I want to!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shockingly enough, women are humans, too.” Bin grinned. “It’s a difficult concept, but you must believe me. She is every bit as human as you are.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>whore!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” the man clarified. “She sleeps with any man who’ll take her and buy her those fucking pretty dresses! She belongs on the streets, with the other whores! Let me go!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin shook his head. “No. I don’t think I will. See, you ruined my parlor. It’ll take me quite some time to clean up your mess, especially since you’ve put my darling maid out of commission.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And what the hell are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to do?” Mr. Schaefer asked. He had finally ceased his tugging and pulling, though he remained tense, ready to escape Bin’s hold at a second’s notice. For a fat, drunkard, he sure seemed fit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I could call the police,” Bin mused, though he was well aware the police wouldn’t do a damn thing. Mr. Schaefer had done nothing illegal, save for ruining Bin’s parlor room, but even that was a minor offense that would likely have him spend a night or two in jail. And then what? He would be back on the prowl, and if he caught Angela unawares once more, he could easily kill her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Schaefer seemed to know the law, too, and he laughed once, a great, loud bark of laughter, before spitting in Bin’s face. Saliva slid down Bin’s cheek, over the corner of his mouth, and he curled his lips distastefully.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he could do anything in retaliation, however, Myungjun lunged at the man, knocking him from Bin’s grip and slamming him into the floor. He punched him once in the face, twice in the face, and then grabbed his jaw harshly, yanking his head back to expose his neck.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Schaefer cried out in pain, but Bin pulled Myungjun away. “Stop it!” he scolded, switching to Korean. “If you kill him, then—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ll be better off without him!” Myungjun exclaimed, trying to get back to his vengeful beatings. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We have a witness, and I doubt she’ll be as understanding as Dongmin!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t give a shit!” Myungjun snarled. “He tried to kill her and then he spit in your face! I’ll fucking kill </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and spit all over him, and see if he likes that!” Then, with a well-timed kick to Bin’s shins, Myungjun was free, and he returned to Mr. Schaefer, who was struggling to sit upright. Myungjun kicked him in the face; Bin was certain the man’s nose broke. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nothing else could be done, however, for Angela suddenly rushed forward, tugging weakly at Myungjun’s jacket.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t!” she screeched, tears flooding her eyes. “Pl-Please, Myungjun, don’t!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun understood that much English, at least, and he looked at her with surprise. Beneath him, Mr. Schaefer moaned in pain, but Myungjun paid him no attention.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?” Myungjun asked, obviously confused.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela glanced at Bin, desperate and frantic. “If you kill him, I’ll be blamed!” she cried out. “He’s my husband — I’ll be in trouble! </span>
  <em>
    <span>You’ll</span>
  </em>
  <span> be in trouble! Ju-Just, please, Myungjun, Bin, let him go!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin grit his teeth down. “He’ll return. He’ll—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I won’t!” Mr. Schaefer called out, frightened under the presence of Myungjun. “I will leave her alone! Let me go!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The promise of a drunkard wasn’t much of a promise at all, but Bin knew Angela was correct. If Myungjun killed Mr. Schaefer, it would be a murder. Myungjun’s chances of getting out of trouble weren’t very good; he was an immigrant who spoke very little English and worked often in a morgue and engaged in frequent sodomy. He would rot away in jail, starved of the blood he so desperately needed. He would be dead in two weeks, if he wasn’t hung by an angry mob first.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Get off,” Bin ordered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun looked slightly betrayed. “Bin, he isn’t—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t fucking care. Off, Myungjun. I’ll not have you go to jail. Killing this rat isn’t worth the end of your life.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was quiet for a few seconds, save for the sounds of Mr. Schaefer whimpering pathetically, but Myungjun did finally stand up, stepping back as his body trembled with anguish. Bin felt bad for him. He had come to consider Angela a very close friend, and Bin knew it was painful to let her no-good husband run from them because the law wasn’t in their favor. He must feel useless and helpless. Bin decided to scold him no more for his murderous intent.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin knelt beside the body of Mr. Schaefer, barely restraining his rage as he switched back to English. “You ought to leave now before one of us does kill you. And be warned, Mr. Schaefer — if you return to harm Angela, I will not hesitate to personally tear you apart, limb by pathetic limb. Heed my warning, alright?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could see the fear in Mr. Schaefer’s eyes, but there was something far more worrisome; embarrassment. Mr. Schaefer had been humiliated by men he thought beneath him. Nothing good ever came from a gentleman who had been humiliated. They always set out to prove themselves somehow, to showcase their strength and ability to rise despite the frustration. Mr. Schaefer would likely do the same, except Angela might be his next target.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sure enough, as Mr. Schaefer stood, he spared a glance toward Angela, his eyes filled with unbridled hatred. Angela kept her own gaze downcast, arms wrapped tightly around her body in the only defense she had left. Bin swallowed past the lump in his throat. He had grown soft in his old age and thanks to Myungjun’s influence. Where was the hardened vampire who watched women suffer and die with little issue? He missed that part of him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Schaefer left and Myungjun was quick to speak. “You should have let me kill him. A man like that doesn’t deserve life.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Again, I’ll not have you jailed and killed for that pathetic excuse of a man. Angela is right; we’ll all be in trouble if he dies in our house.” Bin ran a hand over his face and asked, in English, “Angela? Are you in much pain?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She sniffed and looked up. Her cheeks were streaked with tears and her fingers shook as she gingerly touched the bruises spread across her face. “Yes,” she whispered. “It’s...it’s manageable, though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And the baby?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She glanced sharply over at him, then at Myungjun. Bin offered her a small smile and tried to smooth down her unruly, amber hair. “He doesn’t understand that particular word,” Bin assured her, though Myungjun’s interest did seem piqued. “Besides, he needs to know, doesn’t he?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I...I suppose.” She cleared her throat and bowed her head. “I hope my child is fine. I do not know how to tell, though.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin inhaled deeply. He could smell all sorts of blood, and it was only with his expertise that he was able to pinpoint all the different types. There was Myungjun’s, the sweet, garlic blood that smelled so much like his own. There was Angela’s, a blood untainted with any human vices, rich and deep like wine. There was Mr. Schaefer’s, carrying with it the stench of alcohol and neglect. And one more joined in, the smell of innocence and purity. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The smell would remain even if the baby had died in the attack, but Bin wanted to deliver only good news. “Because you are mostly unharmed and because you seemed to have protected your stomach, I assume the child will survive. We can call on a doctor, though, should you experience any odd symptoms.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded her head and sat down with a sigh. A few more tears had welled up in her eyes and she brushed them aside as if ashamed. Bin watched her quietly for a few seconds before sharing a glance with Myungjun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s pregnant,” Myungjun commented, his own eyes wide with awe.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How did you know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not an idiot. You said the English word for child, and she’s been holding onto her stomach. How long have you known? Did you expect to keep this from me?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll answer your questions later,” Bin promised. “Right now, I really must focus on Angela’s health. We need to dress her new wounds and redress the old ones. While I do that, I’ll talk, but do you mind grabbing the supplies for me first?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun almost looked ready to complain. He opened his mouth and stepped forward but then noticed Angela’s forlorn form. His arguments escaped him and he nodded his head. “Yes,” he muttered. “She is more important at the moment.” Then, in English, he announced, “I’ll be back, Angela. I’ll help you, Angela.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela blinked before offering him a soft smile. “Thank you,” she murmured, seeming truly grateful for Myungjun’s assistance. “I know I’m in capable hands.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As Myungjun vanished down the hall and Angela withdrew inward once again, Bin began to devise a plan. He had to get rid of Mr. Shaefer, one way or another. It would be simple enough to drain him of his blood and toss him in the Hudson, as he did all of his victims, but there would be more scrutiny placed onto Dongmin and Angela should he murder the man. There had to be another way, then, a proper way to make Mr. Schaefer accidentally die so as to not draw suspicion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun returned with bandages and water and medication, and Bin pushed it out of his mind for the time being. Myungjun was right; Angela certainly was more important at the moment, and he was determined to fix her first.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>◥(•̀￦•́)◤</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dongmin had been rightfully horrified when he learned of the abuse Angela had suffered at the hands of her husband. He had gazed upon her injuries with horror, and when Bin told him of Mr. Schaefer’s actions, Dongmin’s jaw became tense.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll kill him,” he hissed. “I’ll fucking kill that demon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course you won’t,” Bin scolded. Angela had since retired to her room, quite exhausted with all the pity the three men were pouring onto her, and so Bin sat with Myungjun, Dongmin, and Minhyuk, the latter of whom sat near a window and refused to engage any of his friends in conversation. “If you kill him, it’ll be obvious. Far too obvious.” Bin lit another match; Myungjun was quick to add his cigarette to the fray, lighting the tobacco with ease. Myungjun didn’t often smoke, but when he did, Bin knew he was stressed. He had smoked enough to fill a small ashtray in a handful of days, and Bin would have laughed about it if not for the fact that poor Myungjun could not stop thinking about Angela’s horrible husband. No wonder he smoked so often recently.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I should kill him,” Myungjun growled, fingers tight around his stick. “I’ll smash his fucking head in.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, goodness, what am I to do? I thought </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> was the most murderous one of the bunch,” Bin teased, trying desperately to lighten the mood. “And here I have both Dongmin and Myungjun advocating for the murder of a human. This night has become interesting. Now, if only Minhyuk were to join in, then I would be truly flabbergasted.” Bin craned his neck to peer over at the youngest of the group, who rolled his eyes and continued to nurse his glass of ale.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dongmin, glaring over at Bin, snapped, “You ought to be more concerned with this! I know you like Angela, so why doesn’t it bother you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin raised his eyebrows and took a drag of his cigarette. “I’ve lived for a very long time, Dongmin. I’ve become quite the expert at hiding my true feelings. Perhaps you two need a lesson in such a thing, hm?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t need a lesson; I need to kill her husband.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re a politician. I don’t think killing him will go over well with the public you serve.” Bin tapped his cigarette against the ashtray and added, “Besides, I’m already working out several plans to kill the man myself. It’s much more simple if I do it, you see. I understand how to kill humans quite well. Myungjun mostly has experience with vampires, and Minhyuk has absolutely no experience at all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had hoped that his little quip would cause commotion in Minhyuk, but Minhyuk merely frowned into his drink. What a pity. Bin had seen him riled up before and he was so much fun. Unfortunately, he seemed rather boring a majority of the time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s your plan, then?” Dongmin asked, leaning closer in order to listen to Bin speak.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin sighed. He hadn’t been able to concoct a </span>
  <em>
    <span>great</span>
  </em>
  <span> plan. What he had was mediocre, at best, and he realized he was too worried to truly think of anything nefarious. It was easy to pick off the poor and drunk humans. No one missed them. But with Dongmin’s private life now very well-known, with the news of his affair making its rounds in papers all over the state, and with Mr. Schaefer’s outspoken declarations of anguish and humiliation, it was difficult to properly form any sort of plan. There was the possibility of it all backfiring, of Angela and Dongmin caught in the fray, of Bin and Myungjun being found out and hanged for their crimes. Bin knew better than to risk that, and so he had chosen to stay quiet for the time being, to watch Mr. Schaefer’s moves and hope that he wouldn’t attack Angela a second time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But Dongmin awaited an answer, and Bin knew from personal experience that Dongmin would stop at nothing to hear said plan. He cleared his throat and looked at Myungjun for assistance. Myungjun seemed to have understood Bin’s reluctance, however, and merely glowered at his lover.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s no plan, is there?” Myungjun asked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There are </span>
  <em>
    <span>several</span>
  </em>
  <span> plans, as I’ve mentioned. None of them will work, though, so I’ll have to fix those plans.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dongmin gripped the cigarette in his hand. Bin was certain he was squishing the tobacco; sure enough, some of the pressed leaves fell out onto his lap. “Our friend is traumatized and has been beaten and is living in fear of her life, and you’ve chosen to just ignore—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Friend?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Bin repeated. “Dongmin, please; she is your mistress and she is now our maid. I’d hardly say that constitutes a </span>
  <em>
    <span>friend</span>
  </em>
  <span> relationship.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Get your head out of your ass for five fucking seconds!” Dongmin exclaimed. He ground out his cigarette and stood to his feet, face red with anger as he glared down at Bin. “You have the means to fix it, so why don’t you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not killing someone just because a pretty politician bats his eyelashes and asks me to.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not asking — I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>demanding</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh?” Bin stood, as well, and though Dongmin was taller by a couple of inches, Bin’s persona was far greater. He was an overwhelming presence, and he saw Dongmin flinch as Bin stared him down. “You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>demanding</span>
  </em>
  <span> it of me, Mister Lee? And what power do you hold over me, hm? I’ve lived for centuries. I’ve killed millions over these years. I understand just what we’ve gotten ourselves into. You and Angela are small and insignificant — you’ll be gone from this Earth in the blink of an eye, and I’ll forget you within the year you’re buried. You have </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span> power against me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin had to give Dongmin credit, for the man didn’t flinch nor back down from his self-righteous position. “You’re a coward,” he growled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, please.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re nothing but a fucking coward, Bin. You’ll really allow an innocent woman to be hurt because you’re scared of repercussions? I didn’t consider you to be that pathetic, you know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve killed innocent women,” Bin reminded him, rolling his eyes. “At least I wouldn’t have killed this one, which had been the initial plan when I saw her. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> quite pretty, and pretty ladies always have the most delicious blood.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The look in Dongmin’s eyes was scathing. The man was on the verge of crying, and yet he delivered a glare Bin could only describe as </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrifying</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Dongmin looked the part of a crazed vampire, and Bin wondered how he would be as an undead creature.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll take matters into my own hands, then,” Dongmin murmured, voice shaking. “I’ll not allow Angela to be murdered because </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> don’t care enough to protect her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What will you have me do, Dongmin?” Bin snapped, finally losing some of his patience. “You’ll be scrutinized if I kill him! Angela will be scrutinized! Your job will be taken from you and you’ll be shoved into prison! And what of myself and Myungjun? We’ll be exposed, if not for our vampiric origins then for our sinful lifestyle! We share the same bed and practice sodomy! That’s a felony charge! If we’re thrown into jail, how will we eat? How will we </span>
  <em>
    <span>live?</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’ll not have Myungjun die for this!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Though he had kept quiet during the argument, Myungjun finally stood. He placed a hand onto Bin’s chest, seeking to placate him. “Stop it, Bin,” he ordered, and Bin shut his mouth. Then he looked at Dongmin and sighed. “I want to kill the man, too. I like Angela. I want to protect her. Bin had to restrain me from killing her husband the other day. But he’s right; we can’t just barge right into this situation. We have to come up with a clear and concise plan that will not expose a single one of us. And such a plan will take a while to develop.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It seemed Dongmin would calm himself, but then Minhyuk spoke up from his spot near the window.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think you lot have forgotten that Angela’s husband is a drunk.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I haven’t forgotten,” Dongmin snapped. “That’s the source of our issue.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Drunkards die accidentally all the time,” Minhyuk continued, ignoring Dongmin’s venomous tone. “They stumble in front of carriages or fall into the river or lean too far out of windows.” He took another sip of his ale and cocked his eyebrow. “Are the three of you really too stupid to figure any of this out on your own?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin stared at him before glancing at Dongmin and Myungjun. Realization dawned on both their faces and finally hope didn’t seem that difficult to grasp.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So we push him out of a window?” Dongmin asked, meeting Bin’s gaze with excitement brewing in his eyes. “Is that it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It must be done </span>
  <em>
    <span>discreetly</span>
  </em>
  <span> if we do,” Bin muttered. “Dongmin, you wouldn’t be able to have any involvement in the matter. In fact, just forget Minhyuk ever said anything. In fact, is there a way we can make him forget?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I could sleep with him,” Myungjun offered. “You’ve told me before that I’m such a good fuck that you can’t barely remember your own name.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dongmin turned red and Minhyuk wrinkled his nose in disgust. Bin, however, merely chuckled at such a suggestion.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Very sweet, Jun, but I don’t think we ought to fuck Dongmin’s brains out today. Dongmin, just put it out of your mind, darling. We’ll figure this out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dongmin still seemed a bit embarrassed to have Myungjun even place such an offer on the table, but he pushed his negative feelings aside in order to address Bin properly. “Do you promise you’ll see to it?” he asked. “Do you promise Angela can stop living in fear?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin stared at his friend. Angela had always assumed Dongmin didn’t love her. The confidence in her voice as she said such things had swayed Bin, and he believed Dongmin’s feelings for her were not so deep. Even Myungjun had noticed the lack of passion and had mentioned it. But here Dongmin stood, overflowing with love. It was impossible not to notice the way it burned in his eyes and seeped into his voice. Perhaps Dongmin truly loved Angela all this time, or perhaps he was still figuring out his feelings; regardless, Bin was more than convinced that they had all been wrong. Who were they to know Dongmin’s true feelings? He had let his love pour forth on various occasions and they had all written it off as nothing more than lust and friendship. No, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did</span>
  </em>
  <span> love Angela. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin couldn’t help but smile at Dongmin. “I’ll make sure of it, Dongmin,” he confirmed, nodding his head. “You have my word.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Dongmin breathed a large sigh of relief. He dipped his chin to his chest and murmured, “Thank you, Bin. And I’m...I’m sorry I acted so rashly and treated you as if—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s no matter,” Bin assured him. “It was quite brave. I never thought I’d live to see the day Lee Dongmin tried to pick a fight with a vampire!” Bin laughed loudly and patted Dongmin on the shoulder. “You’re a brave man, certainly. Here, let me pour you a drink. Minhyuk, get over here for some whiskey.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Minhyuk seemed reluctant to join the rest of the group, but Myungjun pulled on his arm, grinning widely as Bin poured them more alcohol. They clinked their glasses together, and Minhyuk sighed loudly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re drinking to murder.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s the best sort of drink,” Myungjun replied.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>(ી(●╥╥●)ʃ)</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Getting into Mr. Schaefer’s rowhouse was easier than Bin had assumed it would be, thanks to Myungjun’s expertise in breaking and entering. In the dead of the night, Myungjun worked his magic, fiddling around with the door and lock while Bin stood guard, ensuring that no one saw them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The plan was simple — get in, force Mr. Schaefer to drink an absurd amount of alcohol (if he wasn’t already drunk), then push him out the second-story window. It was high enough from the ground that it would fatally wound him, if not kill him automatically, and Bin was certain it would be easy to pull off with the two of them there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun gave a small hum of celebration, and the door swung open. Bin followed him inside the dark house. Their eyes were accustomed to a lack of light, and neither saw any need to bring a lantern or candle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” Bin whispered as they crept down the hallway, “what happens if he doesn’t drink?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun located the stairs. “We hang him, then. It’ll look like he did it himself. He has nothing left to live for, after all; his wife has a lover, he’s a drunkard, and without Angela’s income he’s penniless. It’ll be a simple case for the police. They probably won’t care in the slightest that he’s dead if they believe it’s by his own hands.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They began to ascend the staircase. Myungjun was light as a feather, his feet practically gliding across the wooden steps with nary a sound. Bin was pleased he had chosen such a capable and gloriously evil partner in crime.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Have I told you how much I love you?” he whispered once they reached the second floor landing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not now. I’m trying to murder someone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Because I do. I love you so much.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun glanced behind him at Bin, flashing him a wide smile. “I think I love you, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>think</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I’d love you more if you kept quiet.” Myungjun placed a finger to his lips in a typical </span>
  <em>
    <span>shushing</span>
  </em>
  <span> motion. “This bastard might hear us, otherwise, alright?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, fine.” Bin closed his mouth, though he kept a smile on his face, and he followed Myungjun into the master bedroom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The room was messy, with bottles littering the floor and the bedsheets pulled and twisted every which way. No one was present, either, which caused a bit of a problem for their plan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who do we kill now?” Bin asked, crossing his arms over his chest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun didn’t appear nearly as worried. “Dongmin told me that Angela says he doesn’t come home sometimes until it’s nearly morning. He’s likely out drinking, which will make this process far easier.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So </span>
  <em>
    <span>we </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t have to get him drunk?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No.” Myungjun sighed as he pushed at a bottle with his foot, examining the label. “We just have to wait, which is equally as difficult as forcing a man to drink. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>hate</span>
  </em>
  <span> waiting! I hate knowing that I’m so close to bringing Angela justice and yet I must </span>
  <em>
    <span>wait</span>
  </em>
  <span> for this criminal to return home.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin was the opposite. He liked waiting. Waiting gave him a chance to look over his plan, to figure out if it would truly work or not. Of course, it wasn’t like he could stop it even if it </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> work; Myungjun was determined to kill tonight, and so Bin would step back and allow his lover to sate his bloodlust.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He liked seeing Myungjun in such a furious mood. He liked the idea of Myungjun viciously killing another human. Truly, he did find himself growing a bit turned on with the thought of Myungjun throwing a man out of the second story window, his body splattering against the ground and his bones breaking in every angle. He would want to see the look in Myungjun’s eyes as the man fell, to see the satisfaction glistening within them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, gross,” Myungjun whispered.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Bin blinked, coming back to reality. Myungjun was staring at him, his nose wrinkled in disgust, and he gestured over at Bin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re...you’re thinking lewd thoughts, aren’t you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course not.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are!</span>
  </em>
  <span> I recognize that expression, Bin. You’re considering something very lewd right now. Well, what is it? What the hell about this place turns you on?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin glanced around him at the utter despair of the master bedroom. Truthfully, it was miserable, but it wasn’t the location so much as it was the future expectations.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He explained as much with a feral grin across his face. “I just can’t wait to see you shove a man to his death. My, it’ll be difficult to keep my hands off of you after that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you try to fuck me while I’m murdering someone, I’ll toss you out of the building myself. All of your bones will break.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, and then you’d nurse me back to health, right?” Bin smiled even wider, eyes twinkling with mirth. “I’ll call you Nurse Kim, and you’ll caress my broken body and run your fingers through my hair.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll gouge your eyes out,” Myungjun warned. “Don’t fuck me while I’m killing someone. I’m serious.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin groaned and rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. You’re no fun to be a criminal with, Jun. Perhaps Dongmin would’ve been more fun.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Perhaps. Why don’t you try asking </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> to come along next time? Explain the reason, too. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dongmin, please come so I can fuck you as you push someone out of a window to their doom. Myungjun is too sensible to allow me to do it to him.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin wanted to respond, mostly to comment on the accuracy of the voice used to mock him (and it wasn’t accurate at all, but Myungjun had never been one for impersonations), but then they both heard the downstairs door open suddenly. Myungjun blinked, eyes wide, and whispered, “He’s home much earlier than I expected.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do we hide?” Bin asked, unsure why he wasn’t taking the lead on this expedition. He liked to take the lead, especially when it involved murder. However, Myungjun seemed to be doing just fine on his own. In fact, Myungjun seemed to be enjoying the chaos, if the smile that crossed his face was anything to go by.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No need to hide,” Myungjun replied, keeping his voice down low. “He’ll come into the room, I’ll push him out the window. It’s easy. Go ahead and open it for me, please.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The window was old and it took effort to open it. When Bin finally gathered the strength, the wooden frames screeched as they rubbed together. The noise was definitely loud enough to grab attention, and Mr. Schaefer downstairs shouted, “Who’s there?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Shit,” Bin hissed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun still looked rather pleased, and he said, “Oh, don’t be nervous. He’ll find us one way or another.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve killed millions of people in my time, and yet you’re far more calm than I am. How do you do it, Jun? Are you thinking about me naked? That’s how I calm down. I think of you naked.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think that the image you conjure in your mind of my naked body riles you up more than you care to admit,” Myungjun spat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I’ll admit it. I get hot and bothered thinking about you naked. Here, put your hands over my pants; I think I’m getting hard.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In response, Myungjun flicked Bin’s forehead and squinted his eyes at the bedroom door. “He’s coming up the staircase. Hear him?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin certainly did. He also heard the sound of bullets being placed into a gun. “He has a weapon.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Unless he knows we’re vampires, I’m not too worried. He can blast my body apart as long as it isn’t with silver.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t say that. I’ll not have sex with pieces of you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span>, though,” Myungjun fussed, then he shoved Bin away. “Just let me do this myself. You’re a nuisance.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin was more than happy to wait in the shadows, to listen as Mr. Schaefer inched closer and closer. When he finally reached the bedroom, Myungjun stood in the center. Despite being shorter than Mr. Schaefer, he was a foreboding presence, stiff and straight with his shoulders squared, cold, dark eyes locked onto the pitiful, drunken body of a pathetic excuse of a man. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Mr. Schaefer aimed his gun but did not yet shoot. He blinked blearily for a few seconds before stammering, “I-It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The fucking Chinese lover.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun understood most of those words, and he raised his eyebrows. “Not Chinese,” he corrected. “Korean.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Japanese?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then, in his native language, Myungjun muttered, “He’s a moron.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Clearly Mr. Schaefer didn’t take kindly to such a language being spoken in his presence, for he waved his gun and yelled, “You get outta here right now, you Chinese fucker! ‘Else I’ll kill you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But he was drunk and slow, and Myungjun was quick with vampiric speed. He couldn’t even put his fingers on the trigger of his gun before Myungjun hurried forward and struck the weapon out of his hands. Mr. Schaefer made a noise of surprise and stumbled backwards. Myungjun grabbed him by his shirt collar, steadying him, and snapped, “This is what you deserve for daring to touch Angela with your filthy hands.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun dragged Mr. Schaefer to the window. He made it seem so effortless, and Bin licked his lips with want as Myungjun slammed the man into the wall. He truly did have such a beautiful, amazing, vicious lover. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>adored</span>
  </em>
  <span> the way Myungjun’s hands clenched around Mr. Schaefer’s shirt and how low Myungjun’s voice was when he grew angry and how hot it would be to have Myungjun ride him with as much vigor and excitement as he was now displaying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few more words were exchanged (to which Bin paid very little attention — banter between two people who could not speak each other's respective languages was no fun), Myungjun pulled Mr. Schaefer off of the wall and began shoving him out of the window. Mr. Schaefer fought back very little, his hands fumbling for purchase, and Myungjun was able to push him out of the apartment building without much difficulty. Mr. Schaefer gave a short yell as he fell, and then, with a solid </span>
  <em>
    <span>whoomp</span>
  </em>
  <span>, all was quiet again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That was easy enough,” Myungjun claimed after a minute of silence. He turned from the window and smiled briefly at Bin, his hands shaking ever so slightly. “Shall we leave? Wouldn’t want to get caught.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin removed himself from his hiding spot and hooked his arm around Myungjun’s shoulder, leading him out of the bedroom. “You’re anxious,” he commented.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just killed a man.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You were excited to kill him.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, but I’m...oh, never mind. You wouldn’t understand. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>like</span>
  </em>
  <span> killing people.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I do. But I’ll try to understand. Talk to me, love; what’s got you so nervous? It wasn’t like his life meant anything, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun nodded his head in agreement to Bin’s words, but said nothing until they poked their heads out the front door. When Bin confirmed no one was coming nor nearby, they left in a rush, making sure to put good distance between them and Mr. Schaefer’s lifeless body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Only then, when they were able to slow down, did Myungjun speak. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Killing vampires is one thing. They aren’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>people</span>
  </em>
  <span>. They’re a different race of human beings, a different version of what humans are. Sub-human, I guess. It’s easy to kill them. It’s not so easy to kill one of my own.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin furrowed his eyebrows. “I hate to bring attention to it, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> are a vampire. You’re part of the group you love to kill.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Myungjun agreed. He didn’t look up at Bin. He said nothing else. He didn’t expand on his confirmation. Bin pursed his lips and pulled Myungjun even closer. From time to time, Myungjun definitely expressed regret at becoming a vampire. Though he didn’t often linger on this regret, Bin could see the way his eyes were drawn to happy, human families, the way he drank blood unwillingly, and the way he peeked through drawn curtains to catch even a small glimpse of the sunset. It had been Bin’s fault that Myungjun was living such a wretched life, anyway. He thought sometimes of what Myungjun could have had instead for the degeneracy that had become his norm.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I couldn’t let you die,” he whispered in apology. Myungjun stopped in his tracks to look up at Bin, his eyes wide, surprise lining his features. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t blame </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is my fault, though. If I had not drawn close to you upon our meeting, then you would still be human. You would live a normal life and have children and grow old.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I would also be stuck in that damned tenament,” Myungjun replied. “And with my homosexual tendacies, I doubt I would find a girl. And growing old sounds </span>
  <em>
    <span>miserable</span>
  </em>
  <span>, come to think of it. Without family, who will stick around to care for me in my old age?” He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss onto Bin’s cheek before drawing in a deep breath. “I’ll be fine. Honestly. Killing humans makes me a little melancholy, but it’ll pass. He deserved to die, and...and I’m with you. I’m living in a grand apartment with many friends and I can turn to you every single night and wake you up and kiss your nose and listen to you proclaim your everlasting love for me. I’m happy, Bin. Sometimes I miss the pleasures of human life, but you’ve shown me so much more as a vampire. I wouldn’t ask for things to change.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin grinned as he pulled Myungjun into a tight embrace. Burying his nose into Myungjun’s hair, he murmured, “Does this mean you’ll stop chasing down vampires?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Now, now, don’t be so rash. I never said I hated </span>
  <em>
    <span>killing</span>
  </em>
  <span>, just that I hate killing </span>
  <em>
    <span>humans</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Vampires fight back; it’s exciting, don’t you agree?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t know. I don’t make it a point to kill vampires all too often.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun laughed into Bin’s chest and then smacked his shoulder. “Then you focus on murdering humans and I’ll focus on murdering vampires.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have a feeling we’ll kill the entire world at this rate.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I won’t let it go </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> far, trust me. Just...perhaps a quarter of the world.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can do with less people.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun giggled again and drew away from the hug. He looked far more at ease than he had earlier, and he took Bin’s hand with gentle touches, kissing a few of Bin’s knuckles. “Let’s return home,” he suggested. “I think all of the love declarations have gotten me all hot and bothered.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin agreed, and as they walked down the street, he commented, “So you get hot and bothered by love. I get hot and bothered by watching you shove drunken men out of windows.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you keep this up, I’ll fuck </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> instead of the other way around.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Please do.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <strong>◥(ºᵥᵥº)◤</strong>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In hindsight, Bin should have realized that a young, pregnant woman being told her husband had drunkenly killed himself would be a little traumatic. When the police delivered the news, Angela had broken down in tears. Dongmin consoled her the best he could, shooting confused glances to Bin and Myungjun.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, a woman’s heart,” Bin had cooed. “So frail. So fragile.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sure you would cry if I killed myself,” Myungjun mumbled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you aren’t an abusive drunkard, and I’d kill you </span>
  <em>
    <span>long</span>
  </em>
  <span> before you killed yourself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t be so prideful. As if you could kill me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin didn’t want to admit that Myungjun was correct in such an assertion, and so he kept silent, only watching as Dongmin tried his best to comfort a grieving Angela. He was relieved, at least, that the police were none the wiser. When Dongmin asked him about it in confidence, Bin merely nodded his head and patted Dongmin’s back. The less his friend knew about it, the better. Myungjun was already one person too many; besides, Dongmin was a little naive and stupid sometimes, and he might accidentally let word slip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Angela cried herself to sleep. Dongmin chose to stay with her, slipping into bed by her side and holding her close. Bin had smiled as he shut the door on them, whispering to Myungjun, “If that isn’t love, I don’t know what it is.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun remained unconvinced. “Compassion? Dongmin is very compassionate.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop ruining the moment.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m just saying—”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going for a bite,” he fussed, kissing Myungjun’s forehead. “Would you like to tag along, dearest? Your appetite might be ready to go after committing murder.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Myungjun frowned, likely a bit annoyed he had been reminded of his misdoings, but he shook his head in response to Bin’s question. “I’m heading out later. I’ll threaten Sanha again for information about other possible vampires. And I might enjoy a bath while I’m out. Ugh, I still feel that drunkard’s breath all over me.” He had shuddered a bit, mostly for the dramatic effect, and called after Bin, “Be careful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I always am!” Bin had replied, grinning widely as he exited the apartment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t too difficult to find someone to feed from. The city was never short of homeless immigrants or downtrodden prostitutes. It was easy enough to find someone, to coerce them into the shadows, and then to drink their life from their body. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He tossed his newest victim into the waters of the Hudson, and as he watched the body drift downstream, he realized it was beginning to snow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A smile crossed his face, and he reached a hand out, letting the small snowflakes melt onto his outstretched fingers. No matter how many years he lived, he always did love the sight of a fresh snowfall. It was silent and white and </span>
  <em>
    <span>beautiful</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and he wondered if Myungjun would enjoy walking along a snowy path. He would have to ask his lover, and he turned from the river, excited to run back home and smother Myungjun in kisses.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t until he was halfway back to the apartment that he realized he was being followed. He could smell someone new, someone with a strange tint to their blood. He stopped in his tracks and looked behind him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No one was there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes narrowed in the dark and he swiveled around. The streets were empty and only one street lamp remained lit, glistening off the snow that continued to fall. It was rather eerie, even for a vampire </span>
  <em>
    <span>used</span>
  </em>
  <span> to such ghostly sights. Bin cleared his throat and took a step backwards. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was movement. He looked over his shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Empty.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m going mad,” he muttered to himself. Nothing at all was out there. He was likely smelling old blood; or maybe someone cut themselves and left blood in the streets. Whatever the case, it was probably nothing worrisome, and he decided to hurry on home.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But just as he took another step, something from behind yanked at his hair. He felt teeth pierce his skin, and he tried calling out, but a hand roughly clamped down over his jaw, fingers digging into his cheeks. He was dragged backwards as the perpetrator drank his blood, and he stumbled and flailed in an attempt to escape.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ah, damn him and his displeasure for being caught by surprise. He had never been good with surprises. It had nearly been his downfall multiple times, and now it looked to be his downfall in this ridiculous situation. He tried to bite the vampire’s hand, but the vampire made certain he couldn’t move his mouth. Next, he tried to pull the hand off of him, but the vampire’s other hand snaked forward and grabbed at his wrist, keeping it still.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Could vampires die from having their blood drained from another vampire? He was certain that wasn’t possible; he had been drained of his blood by humans before, only to come to hours later. But what would </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> do to him? He tried to think rationally, to remember all of the rules Sanha had laid out for him centuries before.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I could kill you in a couple minutes without the use of silver,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Sanha had once said when he acted unruly. Then Sanha had tapped his neck and smiled that stupid, innocent smile, and claimed, </span>
  <em>
    <span>but I won’t, because I like you and you’re really flexible in bed.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Had he been referring to </span>
  <em>
    <span>this?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Could another vampire, then, drain him of his blood and kill him?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bin felt his body growing weak. Renewed panic set in and he flailed about. When he finally landed a hit on his captor, he was able to stumble away briefly before the vampire grabbed him again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop!” Bin rasped out. “I’m not — stop, I’m a vampire!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” the vampire responded, and Bin stared at him with wide eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He had spoken Korean.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What were the odds of </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> happening? Three Korean vampires in the same city? Bin wouldn’t have believed it if he wasn’t staring straight at the figure of a short, young, Korean man. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He wasn’t able to stare long, however, before the vampire continued his assault. Bin was slammed against a brick wall, and as he tried to calm his dizzying sight, the vampire drank from him again, this time piercing the other side of his neck with fangs. The vampire moaned as he drank, holding Bin with ridiculously strong arms, and Bin struggled for freedom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>Korean!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Bin begged in his native language, as if that would stop a hunger-crazed creature from devouring him. And of course it didn’t. The vampire kept him still until Bin realized he could stand no longer. He slumped over, moaning from the blood loss, feeling himself lose all control.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The vampire let him fall. Blood continued to drip from the holes in his neck, but even then, the vampire bent down and bit him once more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>So weak,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Bin chastised himself, waiting for death to take him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>So fucking weak.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At least it was still snowing. He always did like the snow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <strong>(•̥̥̥w•̥̥̥)</strong>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hahahahaha now u guys can wait until december.</p>
<p>come say hey to me <a href="https://twitter.com/thevonseal">@thevonseal</a>! harass me so we don't have to wait long for the cliffhanger conclusion.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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